They Who Call
by Dannrose
Summary: Summoners or Scions, Eidolons or Aeons, different names for the same things. Two boys are born with a power potentially greater than crests, a power that is hated by the people of Fodlan and condemned by the church. Hiding their gifts, their paths cross and merge as Dedue and Raphael work out how to survive in a world that reviles them. AU featuring summonings from Final Fantasy.
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to my Three Houses AU. This one uses a similar principle to one of my 'How to Train Your Dragon' stories, and the intention is to eventually cross the two over. In short, its an AU where summonings from the Final Fantasy series exist in Three Houses' world, but with a load of different rules from their home games. It focuses on Dedue and Raphael, my two favourite characters, and it will deviate from the original material a fair bit. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I do not own any aspect of Fire Emblem: Three Houses or the Final Fantasy summonings.**_

* * *

**Prologue**

_18__th__ of the Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1162_

A young couple fondly watched their sleeping baby, observed by an older man who sat in silence. Raphael, currently fast asleep, had arrived in the early hours and much later than expected. By now, it was long into the night, the day consumed by looking after Raphael and his mother after the birth. At this stage, the boy could be summed up in a single word.

Big.

He had a big body, could make a big noise, and had a big appetite to go with all of that. All the healers that had looked at him had agreed that he was going to stay that way, and the family had jokingly wondered where he got his size from since most of them were pretty average in that regard. They then decided that his great-grandfather's size had skipped a couple of generations, he'd been a top War Master in his time, but two people knew that the boy's size wasn't the only thing that had skipped generations.

As the couple continued to watch over their sleeping child, the older man looked to his wife, who'd been quietly tidying around the room, and they came to a silent understanding. The man spoke, "Well, we should leave you two to get some rest, you know he won't sleep long enough to give you a decent night's sleep."

The young man turned from his son, "Are you sure father?"

He smiled, "Don't worry son, we're not going far."

His wife agreed, "Indeed, and don't hesitate to come to us if you need any help."

Bidding their farewells, and promising to return in the morning, the new grandparents took their leave, soon exiting into the cool night air. The house they left was bigger than those of most commoners, the boon of having a successful business, and had been inherited from the two people who now slowly walked to their own, more modest, home nearby.

They made sure to be well out of earshot before broaching the topic that was on both their minds.

"Are you certain that he has the ability."

His question was deliberately cryptic, couldn't be too careful after all, but his wife understood.

"Yes, the mark is on his right shoulder. Thankfully, everyone there was far more concerned with the birth, I managed to magically hide it before it was noticed."

He gave a sigh of relief, "That's good."

There was silence for a bit, until she sighed herself, "I'd hoped it'd not manifest in anyone, especially since it didn't with our son."

"But we never could be sure it wouldn't." He pointed out, "The ability to summon is passed down through bloodlines."

"I know, but I've never heard of it skipping a generation before." She looked at him, her face creased with worry, "Maybe we should've told…"

"We had good reasons not to."

She nodded resignedly, "I know."

Summoning, an ability that was rarer than crests, and didn't have nearly the prestige. It was dogmatically treated as a sin and an affront to the Goddess, the church claiming that summoners meddled in the order of nature and her will. This meant continent-wide persecution and hostility, with any discovered summoners finding swift and harsh judgement.

Of course, the ability to summon was entirely inherited and no one who had it got a choice about it, so entire families were destroyed centuries ago after the initial declaration by the church. However, some summoners survived, and their powers lingered on as they hid them from the world and continued to hide their children.

Unfortunately, unlike crests that need proper equipment to identify them, summoners had a physical mark somewhere on their bodies that identified their Eidolon, the being that they could summon. This meant they physically had to hide the mark, an impossible task for a baby.

"We should've told him."

His wife said those words with deep regret, regret he fully felt.

She was also a summoner, able to call upon Sylph, but that information had not been shared with their son. He hadn't been born with the ability, so they believed that if the worse happened, he would be genuinely ignorant of his mother's 'sin' and spared punishment. Sadly, this meant he bought into the church's doctrine and believed that summoning was evil, and they feared what he and his wife would do if they knew about Raphael's power.

"The illusion spell I've used is strong, and subtle, no one will notice it's there."

Her words pulled him from his thoughts, and he nodded, "At least that will give us time."

Sylph granted his wife illusion magic, and years of practice and necessity had made her skilled, she could create ongoing illusions that were hard for most mages to detect. However, it wasn't a permanent solution, any illusion she created will dissipate with her death, but they would hopefully get years to work things out before that happened.

He looked to her once more, "Do you know which Eidolon he has?"

"I'm planning on looking into it."

* * *

_31__st__ of the Verdant Rain Moon, Imperial Year 1161_

A Duscur mother cradled her new-born baby, smiling down at him softly. The boy shifted and grumbled, revealing the mark on the right of his chest, just below his neck.

Her husband had already identified it as Diablos, a powerful Aeon for a Scion to have.

In Duscur, those the people in Fόdlan call summoners are known as Scions, and Eidolons are called Aeons. In the past, Scions were respected and revered, people believing them to have been granted favour from one of their gods and given their Aeon to help them. However, one group of Scions became filled with greed and the war they waged devastated the country. Since then, Scions became deeply mistrusted and feared, most communities casting them out, believing them to be omens of doom and misfortune. Though it was better than Fόdlan's outright hostility and fatal condemnation, they still found it better to hide their gifts.

However, these thoughts didn't trouble the young woman, her husband was highly knowledgeable about Aeons, coming from a long line of Scions himself. His though was Faerie, an Aeon skilled at healing magic, so the more complex Diablos would be a different challenge, but his family had long kept records of various Aeons.

She looked towards the future in hope, Dedue was a strong baby and she was certain that he would master the powers given to him by Diablos, complex as they were.

She hummed gently, rocking the boy gently as he settled, not even twitching as his father came in from the forge.

He'd dropped everything when she'd gone into labour, rushing to her side and abandoning his work. He'd spent the quiet after the birth tidying and shutting down the forge as she fed and settled their son. Now though, he softly approached and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"He's already asleep?"

She nodded gently, "Yes, he dropped off as soon as he was done eating."

He lowered himself into the only other chair in their small home, near the fire, "I looked into the kind of magic he'll have."

She looked at him in interest, each Aeon granted only a certain selection of magic, though the size of the selection varied, and while he remembered that Diablos' magic was complex, he didn't fully remember what type it was.

"Apparently Diablos is a master of Space-Time magic."

Her eyebrows shot up, Space-Time magic was very complex and rare, they only knew it existed because of old Scion tales and records. To think that her son had access to such a rare magic.

Her husband grinned, "I know, I barely believed it myself, but Faerie assures me that's the case."

An Aeon could converse inside the mind of their Scion, even if they weren't currently summoned, and her husband often said that Faerie was very talkative.

She looked down at her sleeping child, "Is there something coming, why would our son be given such a magic."

"I don't know." He smiled again, "But there's no use worrying over it now. We don't need to trouble him until he's older."

He had a point, it would be a few years at least before Dedue would even be able to summon Diablos, they would wait until his sixth birthday for that, and even longer before he would be able to do any really powerful magic. For now, they could just enjoy having their new son.

Dedue grumbled and shifted again, and she carefully tucked the blanket wrapped around him in a bit, covering the mark once more.

"One day little one, you're going to be a better Scion than even your father."

"Hey!"

Her husband gave a soft cry of pretend indignation, but she simply smiled, and he shook his head, "Just because Faerie doesn't have a single aggressive spell to her name."

"And there's nothing wrong with that." She assured him, "I just meant our son would be better because he would have an amazing teacher."

He gave a soft laugh, "I love you."

He carefully came over and gently stroked Dedue's head, "And I love him too."

* * *

_**PS-So, a long intro to set up the way things work and the world's view of their powers. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to the next chapter. This one marks deviation from canon and the start of misfortunes for both Dedue and Raphael. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_15__th__ of the Red Wolf Moon, Imperial Year 1172_

"Get up boy!"

Raphael blinked dully as he was shaken awake and blearily looked up.

"Grandpa…?"

His grandfather pulled him roughly out of bed, "There's no time Raphael, you need to get ready to leave, now!"

Still confused, the boy slowly began putting on the clothes his grandfather threw at him, "Why…is it Grandma?"

He knew that she'd been ill for some time now, had something happened?

His grandfather paused briefly, then sighed, "Yes." He grasped Raphael's shoulders, "I'll explain everything to you soon, but first, we need to leave."

Raphael was still confused, but something in the man's eyes stopped him questioning further, he simply nodded and swiftly got ready. Soon, he was creeping after his grandfather, through the dark house and towards the door. They'd just reached it when a single voice stopped them.

"Father, what are you doing?"

His grandfather closed his eyes and breathed deeply, but Raphael looked back and spoke up, "Pa?"

His father spoke calmly, "Raphael, come here."

In normal circumstances, he'd have obeyed without question, but something in his father's voice made him hesitate, as did his grandfather pushing him lightly behind him.

"You don't want to do this boy."

Grandpa's voice was low and warning, but his father was not intimidated by the older man.

"No, you don't want to do this."

"How could you even consider your course of action, he's your own son!"

"That's why I'm doing this, if the church knew what he was, it would be a disaster. However, Lord Essar has offered to cure…"

"You can't trust that man!" Grandpa's voice had risen, and was now closer to a shout, "There's nothing to cure! Even if there was, Essar wants nothing more than to control him for more power."

"It's still better than the alternative!" his father snapped back, "The church will simply kill him!" He sighed, "The research Lord Essar's relative has done in crests alone surely means…"

"Absolutely nothing!" Grandpa snarled, "Hanneman Von Essar renounced his status and works for the church, Lord Essar has none of his research!"

"It doesn't matter." Raphael's father shook his head, "I'm sorry Father."

Suddenly, rough hands grabbed Raphael, yanking him back towards the door. He let out a yelp of surprise and his grandfather spun round, but the boy was pulled away. His vision blocked by a hefty shape, he heard a soft thump, but was out the door before he knew it, crying out.

"PA!"

His father came but didn't help him. Instead, he looked to a strange man, who bowed to him respectfully, "Your assistance is most appreciated Master Kirsten. Lord Essar promises to do everything he can to heal the boy's affliction."

That was the last Raphael saw of his family for a long time.

* * *

_13__th__ of the Ethereal Moon, Imperial Year 1172_

Dedue fought through the deep snows, aimlessly wandering the wilderness of Duscar as he pulled his cloak tightly around him.

He had nowhere to go, and no family to turn to, not anymore.

His life had been peaceful, growing up in a quiet little village with his mother, father and younger sister. He'd been taught many things about his gift as a Scion and had even summoned Diablos upon his sixth birthday as per family tradition. By now, he had the ability to use several of his lower level spells thanks to his training and practise, but it hadn't been enough.

Monsters, what had attracted them, he didn't know, but several giant wolves had descended upon their home. The people had moved to defend themselves, with some initial success, but they weren't equipped to deal with such creatures and more kept coming.

His father had pushed him and his sister into hiding, running out to join the defenders, his mother close behind, but neither came back and one wolf found them. He'd tried to use his magic, but the wolf was too big, forcing them to run for it.

Which was exactly what the monsters wanted them to do.

They got corralled into a dead end, along with everyone else, and the wolves began snatching stragglers and easy targets from the panicked.

Including his sister.

He hadn't seen it, the crowd had separated them, but he'd heard her scream and he'd reacted without thought, calling Diablos forth in raw terror.

It was over in moments.

Diablos came, in his full form, and not a single wolf escaped him. All of them were caught in his powerful magic and destroyed there and then, but it was far too late for his family, and most of the village buildings went with them.

Everything afterwards was a blur of grief, fear and confusion, and suddenly, he found himself alone in the wilderness, the people of his village having cast him out because they blamed him for all their woes and loss.

Only Diablos kept him going.

"_There's a cave ahead. You should rest there tonight._"

Dedue nodded, "Okay."

As his Aeon, Diablos could speak to him in his mind since he'd been summoned at least once, and he'd pushed Dedue onwards.

"_You're almost there._"

The boy didn't answer, but pressed on, soon coming to the cave Diablos had pointed out. It wasn't very big, more a hollow than a cave, but it was shelter and could be warmed by a fire. A scarce advantage Dedue had was that he'd been given a few scant supplies before he was thrown out, so he had enough to create a fire with the wood Diablos had told him to gather on the way.

Soon, the small flames flickered against the gathering dark, and he sat and stared at them numbly.

"_Dedue…_"

Diablos' voice was gentle.

"Yes?"

"_It's okay to grieve now. I'm here, and I always will be. So, grieve._"

Dedue did.

* * *

_1__st__ of the Guardian Moon, Imperial Year 1173_

Raphael stood fearfully in front of Lord Essar.

In appearance, the noble wasn't too intimidating, he was tall, thin and bore a regal air, but there was something in the way he looked at him that terrified the boy.

He'd been brought to an isolated manor and had spent some time there in a simply furnished room, under careful watch. Lord Essar had come a few days afterwards and had carefully examined the mark on his right shoulder, one Raphael was sure hadn't been there before he was taken. The noble had been delighted about it for some reason and had left once more, leaving strict instructions.

In short, Raphael was allowed a little leeway around the building, but couldn't leave it, not even to go into the grounds, and apart from the guards and the couple of staff that dealt with him, there was no one else around.

Eventually, after a couple of weeks of him just simply wandering the building, Lord Essar returned, and demanded his presence in the huge grounds.

The Lord paced around him, then cast an eye over the surrounding area, before finally settling back into a seat that had been brought out for him.

"Now boy, here's what I want you to do. Summon Alexander!"

"What!?"

One of the guards whacked Raphael around the head, "Do not question Lord Essar boy!"

He winced as the man went to strike again, but Lord Essar intervened, "Enough, I suspected that he hasn't been made aware of his abilities." He looked back at Raphael, "You are a summoner boy, and that means you have the ability to call upon the powers of an Eidolon, in this case, Alexander. What you need to do is speak his name, and he shall appear, fail to do so and you'll be punished accordingly. You have three chances."

Raphael gulped, he had no idea what Essar wanted, but he didn't have any other choice. The noble gestured to the empty grounds, and he turned to face them, speaking in a trembling voice. "A-Alexander."

Nothing happened, one chance down.

"Alexander."

Again, nothing. He glanced back at the Lord, who simply stared at him, and he swallowed again, body trembling and desperation made his voice more akin to a frightened squeak.

"Alexander!"

This time, he felt something, a shift inside him and a sort of surge. The atmosphere around them changed, and light began to glow before him. It grew and shaped itself, taking on a distinct form, around him, the guards gasped and he dimly heard Essar speaking in excitement.

"Yes, that's it!"

Suddenly, the light dissipated, revealing what could best be described as an armoured fortress. Its head was that of a helm, but the body was more like a metal plated building as it towered over them and the manor.

All Raphael could do was stare as the being seemed to gaze down upon him, he had no idea what he'd done, but it was both amazing, and absolutely terrifying.

Suddenly, he felt exhausted, and he just about noticed his rapid approach to the floor before he blacked out.

* * *

He slowly came to, finding himself back in the room that had been made his since being brought to the manor.

Early morning sunlight came in through the window, indicating he'd been out all night.

"_Are you alright little one?_"

Raphael gave a yelp of terror and fell out of the bed, causing the sudden voice to rapidly speak apologetically.

"_I'm sorry little one, its only me, Alexander._"

Alexander, the same thing Lord Essar forced him to say. Raphael frowned.

"Alexander?"

"_Yes, I am the one you summoned yesterday._"

"You mean, the huge knight in the grounds? I summoned you?"

"_Indeed._" Alexander spoke gently, "_I assume you know little of what is happening. In short, I am what your people refer to as an Eidolon, and you are my summoner. The one you know as Lord Essar forced you to summon me yesterday, but the amount of magic you used to do so caused you to collapse._"

"I don't understand, I don't know what's going on, they just took me, and Pa let them…I…don't know…" The boy began to break down, the constant fear and confusion finally becoming too much for him.

"_Raphael, it will be_ alright." Alexander's voice calmed him, "Just_ know that I will do everything I can to look after you._"

Raphael curled in on himself, gripping his knees tightly, "Promise?"

"_Promise._"

* * *

_**PS-So Dedue loses his family and is cast out to fend for himself, and Raphael is basically a prisoner of a noble, not the nicest of happenings for either of them. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter. This one acts as a sort of 'this is where the characters are at right now' chapter, but things start moving along again next chapter. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Blue Sea Moon, Imperial Year 1175_

In the years following his exile, Dedue had travelled far with Diablos' help.

At the Aeon's suggestion, he'd headed out of Duscur and into Faerghus, but the suspicion and discrimination from the people there caused him to head south into the Empire. As he travelled, he gradually learned skills to help him survive on the road and somewhat pay his way. Unfortunately, a child travelling alone was always going to attract attention, so he ended up keeping his head down out of sight and notice, and never lingered somewhere longer than necessary.

He'd been told enough by his parents to know that Scions (or summoners, as the people of Fόdlan called them) were persecuted even more greatly here, secrecy was paramount.

As he travelled through the Empire, he attracted less attention, but Dagda and Brigid began their invasion, and he fled eastward, away from the war. With so many commoners fleeing or being forced out, he became just another face in the crowd.

This brought him to where he was now, a tavern in a small village out amongst the remote hills.

He'd convinced the owner to allow him to work for food and lodging, and the man had even offered him some gold for it as well. As such, he'd stayed for a few days to earn some money and stock up before moving on. In these isolated communities, very few people cared about his origins, they were all far removed from the issues of the world and paid them little heed. To most there, he was a wandering boy and little more than a passing oddity.

As he helped with bits of the cooking and the bar-work, a conversation between two patrons at the bar caught his attention.

"I'm telling you, that old manor that belongs to the Essar's, there's something funny going on up there."

The speaker was a local hunter and his companion, a local farmer, shook his head, "Don't be ridiculous. Yes, there's a few people staying there now, but its probably just some member of the noble family who screwed up and got sent away to avoid staining the family name. These things happen in the noble circles."

"But the place was basically abandoned for years, now people live there, and don't tell me you haven't seen the odd light that comes from it at times."

"What manor?"

The two men looked at Dedue in surprise, and the farmer answered, "Oh yeah, you wouldn't know kid." He explained, "Basically, the Essar family who oversee the area, have a big old manor house way up in the hills. It used to be a deeply private retreat for them several years ago before they stopped using it. Until about two and a half years ago, the place was abandoned."

The hunter took up the explanation, "But then, a few members of staff and guards moved back into the place. They occasionally come to the village and the farms for supplies, but no one is allowed anywhere near the building. On top of that, a bright light sometimes can be seen from the direction of the manor."

The tavern owner's wife cut into the conversation, "Don't let his rumours bother you lad, that light is nothing more than a trick of the sun on the hills."

An older man at the bar also added his opinion, "I don't know about that Brenda, I studied a bit of magic in my time and there's something funny in the air when that light shows."

"So, they're practising some kind of magic." The famer threw in, "Nothing odd about that, especially amongst nobles, and the Essars in particular."

The old man shook his head, "It doesn't feel like any magic I know, and it doesn't account for the other strange thing."

By now, Dedue was very interested, "What other strange thing?"

The old man leaned forward, "It was a bit after they started using the manor again, one night, a bunch of fighters came through the village at close to midnight. I was having trouble sleeping that night and saw them from my window, funny thing was, they had a young boy with them. The poor lad looked exhausted and terrified if you ask me. Even stranger, those same people came back through the village the next day from the manor, and the boy wasn't with them." He took a quick swig of his ale, then continued, "I'm telling you, there's something going on up there."

The farmer scoffed, "C'mon, its obvious what happened, one of the Essars had a fling, got an illegitimate child who showed a talent for magic, and now they've hidden the kid away to preserve the family name while they train him."

The old man tapped the bar counter, "And I'm telling you that normal magic doesn't feel like that, you wouldn't be able to feel it from this distance anyway. Something about it is different, and powerful, I'd stake my life on it!"

* * *

Much later that night, Dedue sat in his loaned room, deep in thought.

"_You're suspicious about that manor, aren't you?_"

Diablos said that as more of a statement, rather than a question, but Dedue answered anyway, "Yes, a strange magic, and a mysterious boy taken there in the dead of night. It seems strange."

"_You think he's another Scion?_"

"What do you mean?"

"_Don't be surprised I'd guess you'd be thinking that, of course you'd be unknowingly keeping an eye out for someone else like you. Though, another Scion would account for the traces of magic I've been sensing._"

The boy gasped in surprise, "You've been sensing magic!?"

"_Yes, though it was so faint, I assumed it was an old trace and of no importance, but it could be that we're simply too far away for me to get a good sense of it._"

"Do you think It's worth investigating?"

Diablos answered without hesitation, "_Yes._"

* * *

For the last two and a half years, Raphael had only two sources of comfort, Alexander and Skipper.

Alexander had been an invaluable friend during his imprisonment, the Eidolon giving verbal advice, comfort and simple presence. At the very start, he encouraged Raphael to keep their ability to converse a secret, something the boy did gladly, and he'd been there throughout the days, weeks and months he was trapped at the manor.

Skipper was slightly different in that he wasn't actually a person. In reality, Skipper was a stuffed otter toy that Raphael had found in one of the unused rooms. Not being allowed personal belongings, he'd smuggled the toy into his room and cuddled it at night for comfort, hiding it away when he wasn't there.

The days passed in constant routine. Every morning, he'd be awoken by a bang on the door at dawn, he'd dress for the day, choosing from clothes that were all the same, and then be escorted to breakfast. Once, he'd eaten the same porridge, he was taken to the library for 'testing', bringing him into contact with the only other person that spent any large amount of time with him.

The mage, whom Raphael never learned the name of nor saw their face, would proceed to order him to perform the spells he'd been taught, which consisted of Holy, and Cure, until he ran out of energy. He'd then rest and start the castings all over again until he had to rest again, and repeat the process until lunch. Once he'd eaten, he then got free time to wander the empty manor until he was summoned to the grounds and made to exercise by the same mage. This led to dinner, which led to being washed, which led to being locked in his room and left to sleep until the whole thing began again the next morning.

Night was by far his favourite part of the day.

Once his door was locked, he'd take Skipper from his hiding place and settle into his simple bed. Once ready, Alexander would then tell him a story, the Eidolon bringing to life ancient fairy tales and legends, taking Raphael away from his imprisonment and far away to magical lands and exciting adventures. Sometimes, the Eidolon would tell a story of family, or one of some mystery solved by close friends, other times, he'd tell of dramatic battles, or of strange and incredible people who lived far from Fόdlan.

No matter what story he told, Raphael would always be enthralled until he finally gave in to sleep.

* * *

"_So, little one. What story do you want tonight?_"

Raphael rolled onto his side; Skipper already held in his arms.

Though he sort of knew he should be too old to still need to have a stuffed toy in bed, he never wanted to give the habit up, Skipper was too valuable to him now.

He thought for a moment, then answered, "Can I get the one about Ike, and the way he and Queen Elincia faced down Ashnard?"

Alexander chuckled in his mind, "_You do rather like that one._"

Raphael smiled, "Well yeah, Ike is really strong, and he doesn't start as a lord, not like in lots of the other tales."

The Eidolon laughed again, "_I see, just remember that it'll take several nights to get through the whole thing._"

"I know." The boy's smile became sadder, "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

"_Don't say that Raphael. You'll leave this place one day. I am certain of it._"

He turned his eyes longingly to the window, "But when? How long do I have to be trapped here?"

Alexander sighed, "_I cannot say, but you will be free one day, and I will go with you wherever you choose to go._"

The smile returned, "Thank you."

"_Now then. I believe I have a story to tell._"

As the Eidolon weaved his tale, Raphael let his mind take him to the places he described, losing himself in the fantasy of characters who were free.

* * *

_**PS-So an attempted rescue by Dedue may or may not be occurring soon. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to the next chapter. This one features the rescue and shows off some of the spells Dedue can use. Thank you those who've reviewed and everything so far and I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Blue Sea Moon, Imperial Year 1175_

For a quiet private retreat, the manor house was stupidly big to Dedue's mind.

Of course, to a noble, it was probably smaller than most, but the boy still thought it ridiculous. Who needed a second home that size anyway?

He scouted carefully around the base of the overgrown garden walls, looking for a way in. The main entrance was locked shut and he'd seen a very bored guard on the inside, keeping an eye on it, but it seemed there were few people about the grounds. According to what he'd learned in the village, not many people had been seen residing at the house, though several were sure that one of the Essars visited the place periodically, though in a very secretive way.

His eyes caught sight of what he was after, sturdy vines that reach up to the top of the wall around the back of the house, with thick bushes at their base. It seemed that the manor's occupants weren't too concerned with tending to anything outside the walls, and that suited him just fine.

Dedue lightly tested his natural ladder, and carefully began to climb, strength and skill built up over his near three years of exile coming into play. Soon, he reached the top and carefully peered over the top of the wall.

The grounds were large, and mostly left wild behind the building. There was no one in sight, so he took the chance to climb fully onto the wall and leap into a handy tree growing close to it. Moving about carefully, he found himself a secure perch, the summer leaves allowing him to hide in plain sight.

As he kept watch, he spoke quietly to Diablos, "Is the magic you've been sensing any stronger?"

"_Yes, it is._" The Aeon swiftly responded, "_And it is definitely connected to another Aeon, in fact an Aeon has been summoned here several times, though not for a while. Even you should be sensing it in some way._"

Dedue frowned, "Is it that weird tingling sensation in the air?"

"_That's the one. Normal spells aren't really traceable after casting unless you're an experienced mage or Scion, but a full summoning leaves noticeable traces for quite some time, and over large distances. That's likely why they're basing themselves somewhere so remote, to avoid notice._"

Dedue spotted movement, and watched carefully as a blonde boy jogged around behind the house and beneath the tree he was hiding in. He waited until the boy went around the corner of the manor before carefully climbing out of the tree to follow him using the overgrown bushes as cover.

In time, he found himself around the front of the house and watched as the other boy came to a halt in front of a robed and masked figure. Dedue couldn't hear what they said from his hiding place, but it seemed the other boy was being put through some sort of exercise regime, as he was sent on another lap around the house.

"_I don't like the look of that mage._"

Diablos' tone was suspicious, and Dedue understood, "Agreed, there's something about him that just feels wrong."

"_Other than his 'I'm an evil mage' robes and sinister beaked mask?_"

The boy gave a small smile at the Aeon's sarcastic words as he answered, "Yes." He frowned, "Its like there's a sinister air about him."

"_Its dark magic, and a kind that's more potent than what can be used by normal mages. This guy uses some seriously screwed up spells if his magical presence is like this._"

"So, there is definitely something going on here."

"_That's right, and I think we need to get that boy away from him as soon as possible, whether he's a Scion or not._"

Dedue nodded firmly, "We'll do it tonight."

* * *

Night eventually fell, but Dedue gave it a bit longer just to be sure.

He'd stolen his way around to the back of the house during the afternoon, staking out the kitchen entrance. He'd barely seen anyone as he'd waited, only the boy, the mage, and a singular cook who stepped out of the back door to swig some ale. Other than that, the grounds remained empty and quiet, confirming very few people actually being in residence.

The coast clear, Dedue dared to leave his hiding place and stole over to the door, he paused beside it briefly to listen, but heard nothing from the other side and carefully tested it.

It swung open quietly, and he warily peered around it, finding himself in some sort of storage space leading to an open doorway beyond. Creeping over to this, he checked the kitchen, finding the same cook from before tending to the huge fireplace.

Dedue raised his hand and muttered a single word.

"Slow."

Immediately, the cook's motions reduced to a crawl, and the boy hurried across the kitchen and out the next door into the main house. As its name suggested, the spell 'Slow', very temporarily slowed the flow of time for a single target and was one of the spells Diablos granted him. It was harmless in and of itself, but it was a good way to slip by people, since, to their perception, he'd be moving too fast for them to notice him.

Safely in the hall, Dedue snuck onwards, past the dark dining room and some sort of lounge, before slowing down and stopping just before an open door that had firelight coming out of it.

Carefully, he peeked around the doorframe, only to duck out of sight quickly again upon seeing two men within what was some sort of study.

The sinister mage from earlier, and what looked like another mage.

They were deep in conversation, so Dedue listened carefully.

"Lord Essar will be making another visit soon to check on the boy's progress, we'll have to make sure that the house will be ready to receive him."

"Of course, and I'm sure he'll be pleased with our progress so far."

"Naturally, the boy's pool of magic has grown considerably since we started, even without us enhancing it."

"I must say I'm surprised; the physical training was initially to strengthen him enough to increase his chances of surviving the enhancement procedures, but it seems that strengthening his physical body has strengthened his magic pool as well."

"Indeed, it looks like a summoner's magic is linked to their body, perhaps the stronger their body, the more magic they can store and expend."

"If these are the results with traditional methods, imagine what the enhancements will do."

"I can, I believe Lord Essar will be keen to move onto those now."

Dedue nearly gasped, they were planning some sort of enhancement experiments, he had to get the boy out of here, even more so now there was no doubt he was a Scion like him, but how to get past the door?

He carefully peeked in again and spotted an open ink pot on the edge of the desk the mages were sitting at.

Perfect.

He focused on the pot, and barely whispered another spell.

"Centre-shift."

This spell momentarily shifted a small object's centre of gravity, it was short-lived, but effective on this particular target.

The ink pot toppled of the desk, spilling its contents over the floor and eliciting cries of frustration from the mages. As hoped, both of them were distracted and swooped to clear the mess up, giving him the chance to shoot past unnoticed.

Quietly, he padded down the hall until he reached the stairs, which he scuttled up into the dark corridor above.

Most of the rooms here had open doors, but were largely empty or had covered furniture, however, one room had its door tightly closed, and he headed straight for it. Trying the door revealed it to be locked, increasing its chances of being the room he was looking for. Unfortunately, he was no good at picking locks and none of his spells were any use for that either. He glanced around and his eyes fell on a key hanging from a hook beside the door.

That would work.

* * *

Raphael had been listening to Alexander's story, when the door to his room rattled.

The Eidolon stopped speaking, and the boy sat up in bed, holding Skipper a little tighter.

"I think someone is trying to get in."

He knew it got locked every night, he'd tested it himself before, but any of the guards would know this as well, they wouldn't try to open it without unlocking it.

There was silence, then the familiar sound of the key being inserted and turned, the door giving a soft click and swinging open to reveal a complete stranger.

Raphael could only stare, as a boy about his age stepped into the room and whispered urgently.

"Uh, hello. I'm Dedue, I'm here to rescue you."

Raphael blinked, "Rescue me?"

The other boy (Dedue apparently) nodded urgently, "Yes, I mean, I assume you want to get away from here."

"_Yes, you most definitely do._"

Alexander's prompt pulled him from his surprise, and Raphael practically flung himself out of bed, "Yes! Yes, I do!"

Dedue hushed him, "Not so loud!" He quickly glanced out the door, "Get something to travel in, quickly."

Obediently, Raphael grabbed some of the clothes he had and changed swiftly while his rescuer kept watch on the empty corridor. Soon, he was ready to go, and the other boy smiled, "Good, now follow me quietly."

He led the way out the room, Raphael close behind and still holding Skipper, and the two boys snuck down the corridor and onto the staircase. They'd just reached the bottom, when the large front doors swung wide open, revealing one of the guards.

Both parties froze upon seeing each other, then the guard snapped to his senses.

"OI! What are you doing!"

Raphael cringed, mind instantly jumping to the fact he was going to be punished for this, but Dedue acted, throwing his hand out and speaking commandingly.

"Demi!"

Instantly, the very air around the guard seemed to warp and twist, then the man was flung backwards out the door. Before he could really register what had happened, Dedue had grabbed his wrist and began dragging him out the open door.

"Come on!"

The sound of people coming up behind them spurred him on, and soon they were both sprinting across the grounds, around the manor, and towards a large tree by the wall. Glancing back, Raphael gave a cry of fear.

"They're gaining on us!"

Once again, Dedue grabbed his wrist and sent back a quick smile.

"Hastera!"

He felt a strange feeling wash over him, and suddenly the world was flashing past in a blur. Then he realised that it was because they were moving faster, much faster. Another look back revealed their pursuers to be moving extremely slowly, unnaturally slowly.

Before he knew it, they were at the tree and climbing its branches, then they were over the wall, down some vines and sprinting away from the manor. It filtered through that they were now going at normal speed, but the distance they'd covered was enough, they were going to be hard to catch now, he was free.

Raphael burst out laughing, even as he kept running, the jubilation at this revelation fuelling his limbs, giving him more strength to keep running.

They kept going, until exhaustion finally brought them to a halt amongst a small copse of trees and they sat down, panting heavily.

Once they'd finally got their breath back, Raphael looked to his saviour.

"Thank you so much." He leaned back against a tree in relief, "I can't believe I'm out of there!"

Dedue grinned, "You're welcome." He then looked at him enquiringly, "You know, I didn't ask you for your name, did I?"

Raphael laughed, "No, you didn't." He grinned back, "Its Raphael."

The other boy nodded, "Okay." He got to his feet, "We should keep moving, try and put as much distance between us and them as possible." As Raphael also stood, Dedue kept speaking, "I've stowed my stuff away in a small cave nearby, so we'll grabbed that first. Then we'll push northwards towards the Alliance."

"Then what?"

The boy hesitated at Raphael's question, "I don't know, didn't really think that far ahead." He scratched his head, "I'll probably keep travelling, but if you have a home to go to…"

"I'll travel with you."

Dedue stopped and stared at him, "Huh?"

Raphael smiled, "In truth, I don't think I've got a home to go to anymore, so could I travel with you instead?" He then frowned as a thought occurred to him, "Though, I guess you might not really want to travel with a summoner considering that…"

"It'll be fine."

He blinked at the other boy's answer, "Really?"

Dedue nodded, "Yes, I don't mind you being a summoner either, in fact I'm glad you are." He grinned and pulled down the front of his shirt to reveal the mark just below his neck and to the right, "Because I'm a summoner as well."

Raphael gaped, "Wait, you as well." It then clicked, "Is that how you could use all those weird spells?"

"Yes." Dedue held out his hand, "So, shall we travel as friends?"

Raphael beamed and clasped his hand, "Of course."

They shook hands.

* * *

_**PS-Thus, their adventure begins. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and apologies for the long absence. This chapter hits a key event in the timeline as Raphael and Dedue continue their journey. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1176_

Over the months following Raphael's rescue, he and Dedue had continued to travel through the Empire.

With the Dagda and Brigid War being eventually brought to a close, restoration work began in the west of the Empire. Due to this, they headed that way, instead of towards the Alliance as planned, picking up work through the rebuilding efforts as they travelled. They kept on the move, certain that Lord Essar would be searching for them, however, it came to pass that House Essar was abolished due to political changes within the Empire, relieving their worries about pursuit.

Regardless, they remained careful, never staying in one place too long, and as they travelled, Dedue taught Raphael more about his abilities as a Scion.

* * *

"Holra!"

A burst of light ruptured around an upright log, sending it flying into the air, and Raphael grinned and spun to shout to his friend.

"Did you see that! I finally did it!"

From where he was tending to their campfire, Dedue looked up and returned the smile, "Indeed, well done."

When he'd rescued him, the only spells Raphael could use were 'Holy' and 'Cure', the mages at the manor had been far more focused on increasing the boy's pool of magic power, rather than teaching him spells, so while he could cast his spells far more often than others like him, his choice of options was limited.

Alexander granted him Holy magic and some healing magic, so they'd been working on expanding Raphael's repertoire. Now he could use the three main healing spells, Cure, Cura and Curaga, basic defence spells of Protect and Shell, and finally, Holy and its more advanced form Holra. Fortunately, many of his spells could be passed off as normal faith spells used by priests and bishops, provided no one heard him say their actual names, but they still used them sparingly to be absolutely sure.

Still grinning, Raphael sat down across from him, "Great!" He then frowned, "Though I guess I still have a bit to go before I start casting it reliably."

"Yes, but I've found that once you've done it once, it becomes easier to do it again."

"I'm still catching up to you though."

Truthfully, Raphael was further behind then Dedue with regards to number of spells available. He now had use of Demi, Grava, Slow, Slowra, Slowraga, Haste, Hastra, Hastaga and had even just achieved Stop, though its effect did not last long. However, Dedue could not cast as many in a row as his friend, Raphael's magic power pool was very large.

This meant that he thought Raphael was closer in terms of development to him than the other boy thought.

"Not really, you can still cast more spells back to back than I can." Dedue looked thoughtful, "I wonder why that is?"

"Its because of these!" Raphael flexed his muscles and Dedue smiled.

Interestingly enough, Holy magic wasn't particularly good at harming people, it was very powerful against monsters, but not humans. As such, Raphael had been working on his physical strength alongside his magic, saying that he needed some way of fighting back against human enemies since he couldn't hurt them much with his spells. Dedue had pointed out that Gravity magic, though powerful, could not land a killing blow, meaning his was limited as well but his friend continued his training.

"Its like you said." The blonde continued, "The stronger our bodies, the more magic we can store."

"That was just a theory of those mages." Dedue reminded him.

"Makes sense though." Raphael grinned, "I have more magic than you and my muscles are bigger."

"Still…"

Yes, Raphael had bigger muscles, but Dedue wasn't that far behind since he'd also been training his physical strength, he believed it was also because the mages had forced the other boy through intensive spellcasting sessions every day.

Dedue let the conversation trail off as he began collecting the tools and ingredients together to start cooking.

* * *

The following afternoon found the two of them entering a small town.

Having been travelling the wilder areas for some time, they were relieved to reach civilisation again, and didn't initially notice the whispers and looks that followed them. They still had a fair bit of money from their last bit of work, so the plan was to simply get more supplies and stay in an inn before moving on.

As they walked the market area, Raphael became aware of the looks they were getting, and he leaned closer to his friend.

"Everyone seems to be staring and whispering about us."

Dedue frowned, he'd been the subject of such scrutiny before when he first began travelling, a lone child wanderer was very strange after all, but it had happened less over the years. This was because he and Raphael were both tall and big for their age, so they stood out less now they were in their teens, meaning they were less odd to the casual observer. However, they seemed to be attracting a lot of attention now.

He casually adjusted his clothes, wondering if his mark was somehow showing, only to find that it was fully concealed as normal. Glancing at Raphael revealed that the one on his shoulder was also safely out of sight.

They continued their shopping (though the merchants seemed comfortable only bartering with Raphael) despite the continued whispers, and eventually found a reasonable inn to spend the night.

The inn doubled as a local tavern, and the two of them sat in the corner of the crowded room as the locals finished off their hard days work with drinking. It was potentially more crowded because they'd heard that a mercenary group were passing through town as well, and there were more than a few armed patrons that night.

Initially, Raphael and Dedue were left alone, but still they were getting strange looks and were surrounded by whispers, though much of it seemed to be focused on Dedue.

Eventually, a loud voice carried over the tavern buzz.

"I don't know why they let one of you in!"

The declaration came from what looked like a Kingdom merchant, who was staggering drunkenly towards the two boys, waving his tankard around as he spoke loudly.

"Its disgusting, letting murderers like you mingle with us!"

His voice dripped with disgust, and the tavern grew slowly silent.

"Duscur scum!"

He spat at Dedue, missing him, but making his point clear.

Raphael had been watching warily, but at this he stood, ready to move if the man went any further, who took no notice.

"You deserve everything you got, yet you still come here, eat our food, drink our drinks! You don't have the right to the scraps!"

He was getting closer, spittle flying from his mouth as he vented his scorn, and the tavern owner was already moving his way to intervene.

"You're nothing but scum, cowardly, murdering scum!"

He wound up to swing and Raphael moved to stop him as Dedue jumped to defend himself, but neither had to do anything since the man was grabbed and pushed away by a weathered, strongly built man with a shield slung across his back.

"That's enough."

The drunk merchant snarled and made as if to attack, but the other man stood firm and scowled, "This isn't Faerghus and he's only a boy, the very fact he's here should tell you that he has nothing to do with what happened."

The drunk scoffed but the man was unfazed, "Now, I suggest you leave, before you take on what you can't handle."

The merchant glowered and looked ready to take a swing, but then glanced around. Dedue noticed others, likely mercenaries, standing tense and ready to act at moments notice, and the merchant must have seen them too. Not so drunk as to lose all self-preservation, the merchant threw his empty tankard aside and staggered out, hurling threats behind him.

"Consider yourself lucky scum! But your reckoning will come, kingslayer!"

Their saviour snorted and turned to the two boys, "Are you kids alright?"

They nodded, "Yes sir."

Raphael frowned in confusion, "What was that about?"

Dedue shrugged, "Many in Faerghus have hated my people for a long time now."

The man's eyes widened in surprise, "You mean, you haven't heard?"

A feeling of fear creeped into Dedue's mind, "Heard what?"

Raphael still looked confused, "Yeah, we've not been in a settlement for a while…"

The man's expression became one of pity, "Then there's a lot you need to know."

* * *

_Garland Moon, Imperial Year 1176_

It had been many days since the man, Jeralt Eisner, had told them what had happened.

The Tragedy of Duscur.

The assassination of King Lambert and others followed by the subjugation and near destruction of Duscur by Faerghus. The Kingdom effectively attempted to wipe Duscur and its people out, rendering the land nigh on unliveable and dead, the few survivors scattered.

Jeralt had tried to assure him that there were survivors, those who'd been travelling like Dedue, or had luckily escaped the Kingdom armies and fled to the Alliance or Empire, but that meant little.

Dedue had been largely silent and withdrawn in the following days, and the two boys had left town the next day, saying their farewells and thanking Jeralt before they went. Since then, they'd gone off road, wandering the wilds, and Raphael had given his friend space and time, unsure as to how to help.

* * *

Dedue sat by the fire late into the night, as he had done many times in the last few days.

Raphael slept nearby, breathing gently and deeply, he'd yet to push anything, respecting Dedue's silence, but that didn't make the older boy feel any better.

In truth, he felt…detached…from the whole thing. He'd been exiled long ago, assuming he wouldn't be returning since he had no family left, but now there was nothing to return to. Shouldn't he feel more than this?

Duscur was his homeland, the people were his people, shouldn't he feel more pain, more grief? But then again, most of them were faceless strangers to him, he had no more connection to them than he did to the people in the town they'd left.

He tried to remember those from his home village, but other than some faces, he couldn't conjure anything else up, he'd pushed them from his memory after he'd left. Probably not surprising since they'd cast him out in the first place, why would he want to remember them?

But the land itself, couldn't he at least feel for that, it had never been the height of fertility, but to be useless for anything? And what of the act itself, he may not feel personal attachment to the people, but surely he could be angered and saddened by that at least. Attempting genocide for the actions of a few was appalling (Jeralt had not hidden his disgust for the Kingdom's actions when he spoke to them), wasn't that alone enough to spark fury?

Dedue sighed.

But it was done already, anger wouldn't change it, and maybe that was why he felt detached.

He thought of finding other survivors, maybe help them, band with them as they sought a new way of life. They could travel the Alliance and Empire, live out their lives that way…

"_Are you sure that's wise?_"

Diablos' question echoed softly in his mind.

"What do you mean?"

"_You are a Scion. What if some of the survivors know this? What if they want your power?_"

Dedue knew where the Aeon was going with this, "They'll want revenge."

"_Exactly, revenge on the Kingdom. While their anger is justified, they'll likely risk becoming like the Kingdom they despise, willing to slaughter innocents in retribution. Could you imagine what they'd be like if they had access to your power…Raphael's?_"

He could, and that's what concerned him, "I know. It's just…"

"_I'm not saying ignore them and do nothing, but maintain caution, you and Raphael are two of the most feared and desired type of people on the continent. Those filled with ambition, rage and grief would want Scions on their side._"

"I know."

Dedue watched as the fire slowly died. They had to be careful, that's why they travelled, why they ended up where they were now.

He glanced over at the sleeping Raphael.

The church would want them dead; others would want them for their power, and yet others would just irrationally fear them because that's what they'd been taught.

The fire died.

Dedue sighed and stretched. They would head to the Alliance, maybe find out more about what happened.

He noticed Raphael's blanket had slipped off, and he carefully replaced it over the younger boy and smiled.

He'd traded Duscur for a brother months ago, and he wasn't going to let old ties take him away as well.

* * *

_**PS-And there we go, I hope Dedue's rection was believable, I feel this version of him would be more disconnected from the tragedy than his canon self, since he's been gone from Duscur for years.**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one has the boys reuniting with a familiar face. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Red Wolf Moon, Imperial Year 1176_

Raphael and Dedue had gone eastward once more, entering the Alliance from the south to avoid Faerghus and its heavy discrimination against Duscur.

People's attitudes were mixed, some hated Dedue on sight, others had no problem with him, but most were at least suspicious of him. In the Alliance, things improved. Some still showed open dislike or suspicion, but most seemed more accepting, the common thought being that Faerghus' treatment of Duscur was too extreme, even if they were wary of Dedue. The greatest suspicions came from members of the church, likely because Duscur's parthenon of gods was known and the Church of Seiros disliked the thought of them having gods besides the Goddess.

Regardless, they travelled on, but they found no other survivors of Duscur, only stories saying they'd been through and moved on, or rumours that some were in hiding to avoid the Kingdom.

They continued to get by with odd work as they travelled, making a bit of a tour of their journey as they visited Derdriu and wandered the various territories, but things were a bit harder due to monsters, particularly giant wolves, being more active at this time of year.

* * *

The wolf snarled and growled, pacing around them carefully.

They'd been off the beaten track a little, and a giant wolf had stalked them and then attacked, seeking food. Raphael and Dedue had been in such a situation once or twice before and dodged quickly and prepared for a fight.

Giant wolves covered ground too quickly for a person to simply flee, you had to beat it back or kill it, hence why mercenaries and hunters were frequently employed to deal with them. Both boys carried a basic sword to deal with combat, but a monster's hide was too tough for such things to cause serious damage, but they had other tricks.

Dedue slashed the beast's leg, causing it to snarl and focus on him, meanwhile, Raphael moved away and held up his hand towards it.

"Holra!"

Light ruptured around the wolf causing it to reel back with a howl. Raphael's magic, while weak against humans, was powerful against monsters, and the beast turned its attention to him.

"Slowra!"

Immediately, the wolf's movements slowed. Normally, 'Slow' would've been enough for a single target, but Dedue had found that monsters were so big, 'Slowra' was needed to affect a big enough area to slow them down.

With the advantage Dedue had given them, both boys pressed their attack, Dedue slashing the legs and Raphael readying another spell.

"Holra!"

Once again, light struck and the wolf howled, the attacks undoing the slowing spell, it growled and snarled before limping off into the surrounding forest, looking for easier prey. They grinned at each other, savouring their victory, when a sudden shout rang out from behind them.

"LOOK OUT!"

They spun to see another giant wolf bearing down on them, when a horse galloped in front of them, its rider wielding a lance that they drove into the beast's eye. The wolf snarled and swiped, but the rider skilfully dodged the attack, jabbing quickly with their lance as a swordswoman appeared as if from nowhere and struck from the side.

Back and forth the dance continued, the rider and the swordswoman alternating blows and constantly moving, confusing and enraging the wolf as it twisted and turned, biting and snapping in vain, until the swordswoman lunged and stabbed her blade into the beast's injured eye, right into its brain. It gave one last roar of pain and fell heavily onto its side, very much dead.

The woman casually pulled her sword from the carcass and looked to the two boys: her face emotionless.

"You used magic?"

She was looking at Raphael, and the boy floundered a little, "Erm…yes...I know a little Faith magic that a monk taught me."

Apparently, this was all she needed, since she simply nodded and began cleaning her blade, meanwhile, the horse trotted up to them and its rider looked them over.

"Are you kids alright?"

"Captain Jeralt!?"

It was indeed the man who they'd met in the Empire, and Jeralt frowned before recognition dawned, "I remember you two. You're the kids that were travelling through the Empire."

Dedue nodded, "Indeed, and thank you for helping us once again."

Raphael grinned, "Yeah, thanks a lot!"

The mercenary gave a small smile, "Think nothing of it." He frowned and then made as if to speak, but another warrior came running out of the trees, "Captain Jeralt! We heard the sounds of battle and were about to help." He grinned, "But you and your daughter have already dealt with it." He gave a mock glare, "Couldn't you have at least let us have a shot as well, you're always getting the glory."

Jeralt gave a wry smile, "Sorry about that, you just have to learn to move quicker." He grew more serious, "Now, let's camp out in the area for a while, we've been contracted to deal with the monsters here and at least one giant wolf is still around. We should scout out any others."

The man nodded, "Of course sir!"

As he ran off back to the rest, Jeralt turned back to the boys, "Why don't you two come back with us. The wilds around here are not the safest place for two kids."

Raphael and Dedue glanced at each other uneasily, the woman had clearly seen Raphael's magic and there was a chance Jeralt had as well, what if he was suspicious of what they were? However, his invite seemed genuine, so maybe they could pass Raphael's spells off as normal Faith magic.

Coming to silent agreement, Dedue nodded at Jeralt, "Thank you."

* * *

The rest of the mercenary group weren't far, and they arrived to find them in the early stages of setting up camp.

The boys received little more than passing glances as they followed Jeralt and the swordswomam, whom the captain had introduced as his daughter, Byleth, and they soon came to a large tent, already up, that seemed to serve as Jeralt's.

Entering, they found it already prepared for use, the mercenaries clearly worked fast. Byleth placed the pack she'd been carrying to one side and made as if to leave but her father stopped, "Wait a moment Byleth, there's something we need to clear up first."

Not even a flicker of surprise crossed her face as she stopped and waited, Jeralt gestured for them all to sit and poured out water for them all, handing it out before he spoke.

"Now, I'll be blunt." He looked pointedly at them both, "You're summoners, aren't you?"

Panic flashed across both their faces, and Dedue quickly opened his mouth to give an excuse, but the captain halted him, "Look, I saw enough of your fight, you", he pointed at Dedue, "you used a spell I've never seen before, and you", he pointed to Raphael, "your magic was definitely not Faith magic, I've seen more than enough of that branch in my lifetime to know the difference."

He smiled reassuringly, "Look, I'm not about to declare you kids the spawn of evil and turn you in for execution, in honesty, the church's condemnation of summoners was always an issue for me. I just want to remind you to be careful, even in the wilds people could be watching. You're just lucky it was only me and my daughter that caught you this time."

"I assume you don't want me mentioning this to the rest of the company." Byleth stated.

"Yes." Jeralt answered, "While most of our company are indifferent to the church, they might still react dangerously, even if they don't, the less people who know the better."

She simply nodded.

The captain returned his focus to the two, still nervous boys, "Anyway, I can assure you that neither I nor my daughter will give out your secret, but I still have an offer for you." He gave each of them an appraising look before continuing.

"How would you feel about joining my mercenary company?"

Raphael blinked in surprise and Dedue was equally stunned.

Seeming to understand their surprise, Jeralt explained further, "As I said earlier, I saw you two fight that wolf, and seeing a monster off by yourselves, magic or no magic, is impressive, not to mention travelling and surviving under your own steam at your age. I think you could both benefit from professional training and mercenary work gives you a bit more security than simply taking what comes."

He smiled, "Of course, I'll make it clear now that we'll keep your abilities secret even if you say no, I have no desire to coerce anyone."

Silence reigned for a short while, and Raphael and Dedue stared at each other, wondering how best to answer. Eventually, Jeralt spoke once more, "Anyway, there's no need to answer right now. Take your time and speak to the company and think about it, they'll happily give you some pointers and training regardless. You can give me your decision tomorrow."

* * *

That night, Dedue and Raphael lay in their own small tent, discussing Jeralt's offer.

"What do you think?"

Dedue considered Raphael's question, "I'm not sure, the slightly steadier pay would be good, and we'd still be constantly on the move, which we've been trying to do."

"But we'd be around the same people constantly, wouldn't that make it harder to keep our Aeons secret?"

"Maybe, but I think Jeralt has already considered that, and as long as we're careful, we should be alright."

"Well, Alexander seems to be up for it."

Dedue blinked, "Is he?"

Raphael nodded, "Yeah, I think he considers mercenary work an okay compromise between continuing to travel but have some sort of stability. I mean, remaining anonymous is all well and good but we haven't exactly got a plan for the future."

Dedue couldn't deny that, they were basically just wandering aimlessly, training to be mercenaries wasn't exactly an earth-shaking goal, but it was some sort of plan.

"_I agree._" Diablos stated, "_This Jeralt is on your side, and considering how much everyone fears Scions, that is a miracle in and of itself. I believe joining the company is best, even just to keep you a little safer from bigots who hate you because you're from Duscur._"

Dedue smiled, "Well, Diablos seems to agree, and he says having an ally is impressive considering everything else."

Raphael smiled back, "So, we're joining then?"

"Yes, yes we are."

* * *

_**PS-So Raphael and Dedue are joining Jeralt's mercenaries. I considered Jeralt to be a likely person to not condemn summoners, he's already suspicious of the church and I think he would have an issue with condemnation of someone's natural abilities because of doctrine. Byleth is just indifferent and not very aware of the ins and outs of the church's teaching, so she doesn't have strong feelings about it. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon. **_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one is more a look at Jeralt's relationship with Raphael and Dedue, during their time with his mercenaries, and features a fun little scene between them. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1178_

Having spent over a year in Jeralt's mercenary company, Raphael and Dedue were now established members, though their age kept them more as trainees than anything else.

With Raphael only just about to hit sixteen, and Dedue being sixteen going on seventeen, Jeralt didn't want to make them full-time fighters just yet. It seemed foolish since his own daughter had been fighting full-time even when she'd been younger than the boys were now, but Byleth was born into the mercenary life and had taken to it with astonishing ease. Raphael and Dedue were still learning basics.

After they'd initially joined, Jeralt himself had taken on their training, but it soon became clear that they're strengths lay outside his.

He was a horse riding, lance wielder, and that wasn't going to work for them. While they could put a decent amount of strength and competence behind a lance, their abilities with a horse were quite bad, mounted units they were not, nor ever going to be. Instead he let them try out several fighting styles and they found that Dedue took to the axe, and would likely prove useful with heavy armour, and that Rapheal, while also great with an axe, had a slightly greater tendency towards brawling.

As such, he passed their training onto others in the company who excelled at those particular skills.

In terms of the boys themselves, Jeralt didn't regret his offer, both worked hard and well, and put full effort into the tasks or jobs they were given. Yes, Raphael somehow consumed at least double the amount of food as anyone else, but he did seem to genuinely need that amount and his work output made the expenditure worth it.

He smiled slightly as he watched the two boys run over sword drills with Byleth. While they had their specialties, Jeralt was a firm believer in having a well-rounded knowledge and experience of all combat styles, hence why Byleth had a solid understanding of all weapons and could competently use any of them if she really needed to, though the sword clearly remained her best. As such, he ensured that all under his command had basic skills in at least one other weapon type.

As he watched Byleth critique Raphael's technique, his smile grew a little, she may show very little emotion, but his daughter certainly seemed to have a knack for teaching. Perhaps the lack of emotion meant that people understood she wasn't trying to belittle or embarrass them, just correct them.

His second-in-command quietly joined him.

"Keeping an eye on your kids?"

Jeralt gave him a look, "Only one of them is mine."

The man simply folded his arms, "Really Captain? The way you dote on them says otherwise."

"I don't 'dote' on them."

"No, but the Brothers are definitely your favourites."

The 'Brothers', a name for the two boys that had partly started as a joke, considering their closeness to each other. Naturally, the name had eventually stuck and basically everyone in the company referred to the duo in that way, especially since they were mostly assigned to different parties as a pair.

Jeralt was about to protest but gave up. Yes, he would admit that Raphael and Dedue were his favourites (barring Byleth, obviously), but the rest of the company had joined as adults, the two boys had been the first kids that had joined them (again, excluding Byleth), they'd needed more attention than most.

His second used his silence to press his argument, "You're also more protective of them than the rest of us."

At this, Jeralt snorted, "Maybe, but I'm definitely not the only one."

Of that, he was certain. He'd seen his company surreptitiously move around Dedue if there were signs of aggression from the populace due to his heritage, keep a far closer eye on them during combat than they needed to and even openly defend them from the few fools that acted on their bigotry towards Duscur.

The other man shrugged, "Maybe, but they're still your kids."

Jeralt gave him another look, but didn't argue further, "Anyway, what are you actually here to talk about?"

His second became more serious, "We've received a request from Count Gloucester, apparently he wishes to hire us to aid with the increase of bandits in his territory."

Jeralt nodded, "I see." He considered it for a moment, "Well, it shouldn't be anything we can't handle, and we've just finished up with our current job. Send word to him that we'll take his offer."

"Yes Captain."

As the man strode away, Jeralt looked once more at the boys and smiled as they sparred with Byleth.

His kids were learning fast…

No! They were not his kids, only Byleth was his child and that was final!

He glanced at them again, smiling even more as Dedue and Raphael childishly pulled faces at Byleth when she beat them again and then sighed.

Oh, who was he kidding.

* * *

_Guardian Moon, Imperial Year 1179_

Jeralt breathed in the cold, crisp air.

Snow lay around their camp, blanketing it in white and silver, but he'd seen more winters than he could count, and it bothered him very little these days. His mercenaries were equally unconcerned, they'd travelled and fought in such conditions before, and they went about their tasks as normal.

The captain's keen eyes noticed the lack of two boys in the vicinity, and he frowned briefly, then dismissed is surge of concern.

They were nearly men these days, and well-trained as well, they could handle themselves. The company had just finished a job and he'd granted his mercenaries a day of rest and recuperation before marching on, Raphael and Dedue had likely gone off somewhere quieter to practise their magic in secret.

True to his word, he and Byleth had kept their silence on the boys summoning abilities, even learning more about how their powers worked over the last couple of years. Practicing their spells was difficult when they were constantly in the company of others, so he'd arranged things to allow them to train their natural abilities.

He had to admit that they were impressive, though the limitations were unusual, what with Dedue's aggressive spells being unable to deal a killing blow, and Raphael's being far less effective against people. He'd seen Diablos and Alexander themselves once, and he was both impressed and slightly scared.

He'd started to understand why the church feared summoners (or Scions, as Dedue called them). The power of an unseen, unheard goddess started to look less impressive next to the visible, clearly powerful titans that were Eidolons. Who'd waste time praying in front of statues when they knew someone who could summon a near literal living fortress, or slow down time, of course the church was scared of them.

It also made Jeralt wonder why the claimed to be loving goddess would condemn Scions. Their powers weren't something they claimed or stole, they just had them, and it wasn't like Raphael or Dedue had some ingrained desire to conquer and destroy.

He snorted at the thought.

Raphael was far too nice to anyone that wasn't an obvious threat, give him unlimited power and he'd probably use it to give everyone food or puppies or something. Jeralt doubted the boy would abuse power since everyone was a potential friend to him unless proven otherwise. As for Dedue, he just seemed content with living his life, and while he wasn't as open and friendly as Raphael, he saw no need to condemn anyone until they did something wrong.

Surely it made more sense for the goddess to teach Scions to use their powers wisely rather than flat out branding them as evil?

He sighed, he'd pondered it many times and still hadn't come to a definitive answer, and he doubted he would right now.

Instead, he strode off through the camp towards their training area, Byleth was likely there practicing, and a friendly spar would be just the thing, he hadn't sparred with his daughter for awhile because of their work.

As he walked, he sensed something off.

He was a father, and he'd been training young knights and squires years before that, he had a sixth sense for mischief. He couldn't see them, but he was certain that a certain pair of absent boys were about to spring something on him…

FLUMPH!

With a soft sound, a snowball impacted on his back and he turned to see Raphael grinning from ear to ear, and the clear culprit of the assault. Another snowball hit him, and a glance told him that Dedue had circled around to get him from the side.

He stared for a moment at the smirking teens, raised an eyebrow…then swiftly ducked down, scooped up some snow, made it into a ball and launched the projectile at Raphael, scoring a hit directly in the boy's face.

The war was on!

The boys retaliated swiftly, managing to score several hits as Jeralt gathered ammunition, but soon he was returning fire with prejudice and accuracy. Raphael and Dedue attempted a pincer movement, but Jeralt was experienced and outmanoeuvred them both, striking hard and fast with his snowballs.

But they were merely a distraction.

He surged forward, heading straight for Raphael and near tackling him, getting him into a headlock. The boy may have a lot of muscle, but Jeralt was certainly no weakling.

"Cease fire Dedue, I have a hostage!"

Playing along, Raphael bravely called out to his compatriot, "Don't do it, don't surrender!"

Grinning wickedly, Dedue simply continued launching snowballs, taking advantage of the fact that the captain could not return fire while holding his friend.

With Jeralt distracted by the pelting, Raphael managed to trip him up and the captain found himself tumbling backwards. Before he could recover, Dedue pounced and he found himself wrestling with both boys at once, and strong as he was, he could not contend with both of them.

Soon, he was pinned to the ground, Raphael and Dedue sitting victoriously on top of him. They grinned at each other and fist bumped in celebration.

"Okay boys, get off!"

Obediently, they removed themselves and let the smiling Jeralt up, who jokingly folded his arms at them, "Honestly, assaulting your commander, that's worthy of serious punishment you know."

Knowing he wasn't being serious, they looked completely unrepentant and he waved a finger at them warningly.

"There will be revenge for this boys, mark my words." He cracked his knuckles, grinning as he did so, "You'd better start running."

Laughing, they sprinted off, likely to cause some more mischief elsewhere, but he didn't follow, merely shaking his head fondly and turning away. He came face to face with Byleth, who'd clearly been watching the whole thing, not that he was bothered (most of the company had likely been watching it), but there was something in her gaze.

She wasn't smiling, on the surface her face was as expressionless as ever, but there was definitely something like amusement in her eyes. She nodded after the boys' retreating backs.

"They're good kids."

Jeralt simply nodded in reply but his smile grew a little at his daughter's statement.

Seemed they'd wormed their way into her heart as well.

* * *

_**PS-Yes, Jeralt is being their dad, but why wouldn't he? I hope you enjoyed that fun little scene and we hit the start of the game next chapter. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one hits the beginning of the game and onto Garreg Mach. While much of the early game remains similar to actual canon, I probably simply mention and go around in-game events to focus on the differences in this story. The story will deviate away from canon in time but for the moment, assume that in-game events happen as normal unless I write otherwise. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

_Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180_

It was still dark out but Dedue and Raphael were already up and about.

Jeralt had informed the group that they were leaving Remire village early that day, so they were just about ready to go when the three strangers approached.

They were an odd trio, wearing some sort of uniform with each person having a different coloured cape, the blonde and dark haired boys with blue and yellow respectively, and the white-haired girl with red. They had to be about their age, and each one was armed, and they were sure they were bringing trouble.

Dedue swiftly turned and headed off to get Jeralt, leaving Raphael to meet the teens along with other members of the company, and he found him in the hut he'd been lent for their stay.

"Captain Jeralt!"

The man turned away from Byleth and Dedue continued.

"There's three teens approaching the village, I think they want to speak with us."

Jeralt sighed, "Now what?"

He strode out, Byleth and Dedue close behind, and soon reached their visitors.

"What are three kids like yourselves doing out here?"

The blonde boy bowed politely to the captain, "I apologise for our sudden intrusion, we were ambushed by bandits while at camp and have been separated from our companions. We were hoping to ask for your aid in defeating them."

The other boy chimed in, "They're after our lives, not to mention our gold."

Jeralt appraised them, "Well, I have to say you're staying very calm about this…wait…that uniform…!"

"Sir!" A member of the company sprinted up, "A group of bandits has been sighted near the village outskirts!"

The girl gripped the handle of her axe tighter, "Those will be the same ones that attacked us."

Jeralt sighed, "And they followed you right here." He quickly gave commands to the messenger, "Tell the company to move to defend the village, we cannot let them attack this place."

The man nodded and rushed off, as the blonde boy spoke up, "Please, let us assist you. we couldn't handle the whole group by ourselves, but we have been trained in combat."

The captain gave them a quick glance and nodded, "Fine." He looked to Byleth, "Take the Brothers and lead these kids, I'll be right behind you."

With a simple nod, Byleth signalled her understanding.

* * *

Truthfully, the fight wasn't proving particularly difficult.

The group that came at them was relatively small, most of the bandits likely occupied with the rest of the company and weren't particularly well-trained either.

Dedue easily blocked a blow with his shield (while he didn't have the full armour yet, he did have a large shield), and struck back with his axe, wounding the bandit in front of him. Nearby, Raphael beat down another with his gauntlets as an arrow from their new ally wounded another. Next to him, the blue-caped boy struck out fiercely with a lance, while the girl swung an axe of her own, neither of them showing much in the way of mercy. Byleth was ahead, skilfully disarming, wounding and killing their foes in her usual, emotionless way, each move efficient and with purpose.

So far, things were going well, but then the girl overstretched herself.

It was a lucky shot on the bandit's part, the girl had just overswung her axe slightly, loosening her grip and letting her opponent disarm her, almost by accident, causing her weapon to spin away from her and out of reach. She delivered a swift kick, winding her assailant and backing off, but the bandit leader had spotted her position.

Leaping up from where Raphael had floored him earlier, the man charged right at her, axe held aloft. Before anyone could react, Byleth was there, in front of the girl and ready. She countered the blow and sent the bandit leader reeling back, causing the rest to turn tail and run, their leader scrabbling after them in an undignified retreat.

Jeralt, who'd been dealing with bandits further away, rode up and gave his daughter an odd look, "Did you just…?"

"The Knights of Serios are here!"

A sudden shout announced the arrival of several soldiers in armour, and as their apparent commander gave commands to his men, Jeralt groaned.

"Why did it have to be him?"

"Him?"

Raphael looked at the captain in confusion, and the man merely shook his head, "You'll see."

The newcomer rushed up, "Captain Jeralt! Its been years since I last saw you."

"Good to see you Alois." Jeralt responded, "And enough of that 'Captain' nonsense, I'm not your captain now."

Seemingly unabashed, Alois carried on, "You'll always be a captain to me." He addressed Byleth, "And you must be the captain's child."

She inclined her head politely, "I am."

He grinned, "Yes, you have the look of the captain about you." His gaze fell on Raphael, "Ah, and you must also be one of the captain's children as well."

The boy blushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Actually, I'm not. Me and Dedue joined his company a few years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just saw you and assumed…"

"Anyway," Jeralt interrupted, "I'm guessing you're here for these three."

He gestured at the three teens, and Alois smiled, "Of course, and I should thank you for assisting them."

"Don't mention it." He glanced briefly at Byleth, "We should be on our way, it was good to see you Alois, and goodbye."

"Yes, goodbye Captain." The knight then shook his head, "Wait, I absolutely cannot let this end here, I insist that you accompany me back to Garreg Mach Monastery. Before you try and disappear all over again."

Jeralt sighed, "Don't worry, not even I would try and run from the Knights of Seiros. Just let me organise things with my company first."

"Of course, Captain, I need to organise the knights as well."

With that, Alois strode off and Jeralt gave Raphael and Dedue a meaningful look, and they followed him away from Byleth and the other teens. Once they were a good distance away, he turned to them both.

"Right, I think you two know this but still. Garreg Mach is the centre of the church, which is very dangerous for you both. If I could, I'd let you two sneak away now but Alois has seen you, it'll look suspicious if you both disappear before we get there, and I think I'll end up staying there long-term."

Dedue frowned, "So what do we do?"

"For now, be very careful. Fortunately, the church isn't exactly on an active hunt for Scions such as yourselves, as long as you keep your marks and magic secret, they'll think you no different from anyone else. After a few days, you should be able to leave and be on your way, even if I end up stuck there, so, as I've said, be careful."

Raphael bit his lip worriedly but nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

"So, how'd you two end up being called 'the Brothers'?"

They were marching to Garreg Mach, with Jeralt and his mercenaries mingling with the knights, while Byleth, Dedue and Raphael were walking with the three students, introduced as Dimitri, Claude and Edelgard.

Raphael glanced at Claude and the young lord shrugged, "Well, I'm curious. I mean, you two are clearly not actually related so why did Captain Jeralt call you 'the Brothers'?"

Raphael smiled, "It started as a joke, me and Dedue joined the company together and the others joked about us acting like brothers, so the name just stuck in the end."

"I'm curious as to how you ended up as mercenaries, you had to have joined as children."

The two boys shared a brief look before Dedue took up the explanation, "Both of us…lost our families several years ago. We ended up travelling together until we met Captain Jeralt, he offered us a place in his company and gave us training and a wage."

"In exchange for sending you into battle." Edelgard put in.

"Actually, it's only recently we've been taking a more active part in combat." Raphael explained, "We've been trainees for a good part of our time with the company, and rarely out on the battlefield properly. We barely knew combat basics when we started."

"I see." She looked ahead as the forest they were in began to open up, "There it is, Garreg Mach."

* * *

Dedue and Raphael were on high alert as they were led through the large corridors and vast halls of the monastery.

This was the centre of the religion that condemned them, and neither of them could help but be on their guard, especially since they were about to meet the head of the entire organisation, Archbishop Rhea.

Unsurprisingly, she'd wanted to meet Jeralt and Byleth when they arrived, but she'd also requested that Raphael and Dedue join them, making them very worried.

Alexander spoke quietly in Raphael's head as they approached the large doors that led to the audience chamber, "_Be on your guard young one, don't fear using my power if you need to. Hopefully, she just wants to see you because she thinks your Jeralt's son they way that Alois did, but keep your eyes open._"

The doors swung open and they were led inside the empty room, their escort retreated, leaving them stood there waiting for the Archbishop's arrival. Soon, the Archbishop herself regally entered the room, projecting an aura of calm all around her, but Alexander wasn't convinced, "_There's something different about her, something…inhuman._"

Raphael didn't respond, but he sensed what his Aeon meant, there was some strange power coming off her, but he focused as she addressed Jeralt.

"Jeralt, it is good to see you once again return to us."

He responded formally, "Lady Rhea, forgive my silence all this time, I know it has been many years."

She smiled, as if in understanding, "And it seems as if the Goddess has blessed you with three children over the years."

Jeralt coughed awkwardly, "Actually, only Byleth is my child. Dedue and Raphael joined my company a few years ago."

"Byleth may be your only child by blood." She answered, "But it is clear that these two boys are strongly connected to you as well."

The two boys in question glanced at each other, apparently their presence was only asked for because the Archbishop saw them as Jeralt's adopted sons.

She paused for a moment, before speaking again, "Jeralt, I'm sure you're aware of what I'm going to ask."

He sighed, "You want me to re-join the Knights of Seiros, I won't say no but…"

"Your hesitation surprises me. You were one of our most celebrated knights." She looked at the two boys, "Of course, I won't force you to abandon your two charges. I wish to offer them a place at the Officers Academy, since my request will mean changes for them. Naturally, I will count your services as a knight as a suitable replacement for the usual payment required."

"That's…very generous, but I believe they are old enough to make the decision for themselves."

At Jeralt's answer, Rhea looked at them expectantly.

* * *

That evening, Raphael was sat in his new dormitory room, questioning Alexander.

"Why did you encourage me to stay, this is the most dangerous place in the world for us!?"

"_Firstly, I don't think the Archbishop was going to take no for an answer and refusing her offer would've looked far more suspicious. Secondly, this is a prime opportunity._"

"For what?"

"_Haven't you ever wondered why the church condemns Scions so? What their reasoning is? Have they ever given a reason beyond 'Summoners are evil!'?_"

Raphael frowned, "Actually, no, they've only ever said that that they are enemies of the Goddess."

"_Exactly, the reason for their stance is unknown, in fact there is very little known about the history of Scions. It's not like anyone is teaching it to people._"

"And you think there might be more information here?"

"_If it exists, this is the most likely place. They may condemn them, but you can be certain the church will keep information about Scions, 'know your enemy' and all that._"

The door swung open, and Dedue, walked in, tugging at the collar of his new uniform.

While the Officers Academy had uniforms in their size, Raphael had a good deal more muscle mass than most students, so while Dedue's fitted him almost perfectly, Raphael could barely get his shirt on and the jacket was a lost cause. Thankfully, it seemed there was a fair bit of leeway in the dress code, so he could probably get away with it.

The older boy shut the door and spoke quietly, "Did Alexander explain why he wanted us to accept the Archbishop's offer?"

Raphael nodded, "Yeah, he thinks this is a good place to find out more about Scions, and why the church hates them so much."

"That was Diablos' reasoning as well." Dedue frowned, "And they have a point. The church never really explains why Scions are supposed to be evil."

"Weren't Scions also condemned in Duscur?"

"Not to the same extremes." Dedue answered, "We would've been under intense suspicion and be unwelcome in most places, but it wasn't an absolute death sentence." He paced a little, "According to legend, Scions used to be revered, but some become corrupted by their power, and the resulting war between different Scions nearly destroyed Duscur. That's why my people didn't trust them, though I don't know when this war was supposed to have happened."

"Maybe the same war led to the church condemning them as well." Raphael mused, "Though I don't recall ever learning about such a war, the church always seems to go on about the Ten Elites and the war with the King of Liberation."

Dedue smiled, "It seems that there is a lot we don't know."

They remained in silence for a while, considering what they didn't know and could maybe learn in the coming days, until Raphael finally spoke.

"What house are we going into?"

Dedue shrugged, "I don't know. Usually, they put students into a house based on their country, but we don't really have a home country. Apparently, we'll just be placed in the house that Byleth will be in charge of."

Raphael smiled, "It's weird, I never thought of Byleth being a teacher, but now I can't help but picture it now she's going to be a professor."

The older boy also grinned, "Indeed, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how the other students will react to her teaching style."

The younger boy winced, "Most of the nobles probably won't be used to her bluntness."

While knowledgeable and fair, Byleth was not delicate in her criticisms, if you were doing something wrong, she'd tell you straight out. However, she didn't avoid giving praise either, you did something right, she'd also tell you that straight out.

Raphael and Dedue had flourished under her tutelage, but other students might not take to it so much.

Dedue chuckled at the thought, "No, I think a lot of them won't like it to begin with." He sighed, "Anyway, we should probably turn in for the night. We'll find out what house we're in and meet our classmates tomorrow."

The younger boy nodded in response, and once Dedue left to return to his own room, Raphael pulled Skipper out of his bag.

He'd never fully shaken the habit of sleeping with the toy otter, while he could and would sleep just fine without it, he still felt far more comfortable sleeping with it. In all honesty, a dark room reminded him just a little too much of his time spent imprisoned in that manor house, with no idea of when or if he'd ever leave it. Skipper had been a source of comfort then, and remained one now, in this room surrounded by people who'd kill him if they ever knew the power he had.

* * *

_**PS-So, unsurprisingly, Dedue and Raphael are now at Gareg Mach, though they are looking into the history of Summoners. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one is particularly long and shows some of Raphael and Dedue's first interactions with some of the students. Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing**_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180_

Dedue rose early the following morning, heading out to explore the monastery.

They'd pretty much gone straight to their meeting with the Archbishop then been taken on a swift tour of the main locations within the grounds by Professor Manuela, namely dining hall, classrooms and their own rooms. As such he wasn't that accustomed to where everything was, and it was a big place to find your way around. Apparently, it was something of a day off for all the students and professors, due to the shake-up of Byleth's appointment and what happened the day before, so he decided to make use of the time by finding his way around, meeting his fellow students and taking a look at the library.

He came to Raphael's room and walked straight in, years of sharing tents and rooms making having separate quarters rather novel to them, and leading to a lack of concern about simply entering each other's room unannounced. Unsurprisingly, the younger boy was still in bed, and Dedue strode over and poked him.

"Raph, its morning."

Raphael grunted, yawned, then sat up to stretch and respond sleepily.

"Okay."

As he came to full wakefulness, Dedue opened up the cupboards and casually tossed clothes for the day at him. Without looking, the boy caught them and started to dress fully into the uniform he was given the day before. As expected, the shirt only just fitted, forcing him to keep it in check with braces and a wide belt, Dedue was initially going get him to try the jacket as well, but one look at the shirt buttons nearly popping off made him decide it wasn't worth it.

Once ready, Raphael grinned and headed for the door.

"Time to eat!"

Dedue gave a knowing smile, "I assume you know how to get to the dining hall then?"

The younger boy smiled back, "Yeah!"

The older of the two shook his head fondly, he was willing to bet that despite only arriving yesterday, Raphael could probably find his way to the dining hall from anywhere in the monastery on instinct alone.

They stepped out into the morning sunshine, and Raphael led the way to the dining hall. As they strolled, they kept an eye out for any other students, but only saw monks, knights and a few visitors to the monastery. They did however receive several curious, and sometimes suspicious, looks, but such a thing was barely new to them and no one attempted to stop or speak to them.

Soon, they stepped into the large dining hall where breakfast was already underway, and they spotted the uniform of the academy scattered about the tables. Once again, they were the subject of scrutiny as they entered, though Dedue spotted a couple of servers diving into the kitchen upon Raphael's arrival to emerge with considerably more food, and he suppressed a grin. No doubt Captain Jeralt had forewarned them about the boy's vast appetite.

They joined the queue waiting to be served and watched the people around them, Diablos commentating in Dedue's head as they did so, "_Wow, there's so much Faith magic about I can basically taste it. Seriously, how many bishops and monks do they need?_"

"_It is a monastery for the church_." The boy thought back, "_Is it really surprising there's a lot of them?_"

"_Not really, but there does seem to be far more Faith wielders than those that practice Reason magic. Its odd that there's enough of them to make their presence this notable, not to mention the number of soldiers the church has. Why does a religious organisation need an army anyway, and why are they training future nobles?_"

"_The church does seem to wield an unusual amount of power over F__ό__dlan…_"

"Dedue?"

He was pulled from his discussion by Raphael's voice, and focused on the younger boy, who nodded towards the rest of the room, "I don't think she likes you very much."

Following his gaze, he saw the blonde student glowering at him in suspicion. He looked back to his surrogate brother and shrugged, "I'm guessing she's a member of the Blue Lion house, they all hail from Faerghus and will have spent the last few years being taught that those from Duscur are the spawn of evil."

"Seriously?"

"Though we were allied, that mostly was only between the ruling families of each nation." He explained, "The majority of people in Faerghus still held prejudices against my people, not that everyone in Duscur was blameless in that regard themselves. The tragedy only inflamed the hatred that already existed, so many wouldn't have questioned that view."

Raphael sighed, "And they're still holding onto it." He gave Dedue a worried look, "Here's hoping Byleth doesn't choose the Blue Lion house."

* * *

They soon collected their food and found a place to sit.

They chose the table with the most students, but sat a seat or two away from them, close enough to take part in conversation, but far enough away to not engage if required. However, Claude almost immediately waltzed right up to them and sat down, an easy smile on his face.

"So, Seteth told me that Byleth is going to teach and whichever house she picks gets you two as well." He winked, "Here's hoping she goes for the Golden Deer."

"Claude, must you so brazenly bother others. It is not befitting of nobility to simply engage with others in such a manner."

This was said by a young man wearing a flashy rose and sporting a weird haircut. He gave Claude a disdainful look, who simply leaned back casually, "And no one is 'more noble' than you Lorenz."

Lorenz gave a dignified sniff and cordially inclined his head at them, "Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, at your service. No doubt you have heard of my family."

Raphael frowned, "Um…not really…"

"What!" The boy's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline, "My family is a key member of the ruling body of the Alliance!"

Dedue glanced at Raphael, "Actually, you have heard of the Gloucester family. Remember that bandit routing job the company took on a couple of years ago?"

The younger boy thought for a moment, "You mean the one where the bandits tried to hold me hostage at one point and the company beat them senseless?"

Dedue nodded, "Yes, that job was given to Captain Jeralt by Count Gloucester."

There was a pause, then Raphael's eyes lit up in recognition, "Oh yeah! I remember now! He tried to get half the company to serve him as knights afterwards."

Lorenz coughed, "Anyway, Count Gloucester is my father, so I'll be taking his place…OOF!"

He was roughly pushed aside by a short-haired girl.

"Did you say Captain Jeralt!"

Claude, clearly amused at Lorenz who was now sprawled across the floor, introduced her, "This is Leonie Pinelli, she's actually only here because of your dad, Jeralt."

Dedue, spluttered at that, "He's not actually our father."

The young lord grinned, "Really, because I heard Rhea wanted you two in the academy because you were Jeralt's adopted kids."

Leonie leaned forward eagerly, "Really, the captain adopted you two?"

"Well…no." Dedue protested, "I mean, he asked as to join his company when we crossed paths a few years ago, but that's all! He didn't adopt us!"

"There you both are."

An official voice came from behind them, and all eyes fell upon Seteth, who was looking down at Raphael and Dedue.

"I was looking for you both to inform you that you've now been officially added to the academy role." The man folded his arms, "That being said, when we were sorting out the paperwork, we had no surnames for either of you, since Captain Jeralt was unaware of what your family names were. As such, you've been registered using his name, so you are both down as Eisner, if you wish to change it, please come and see me in my office. Good day."

With a formal nod, he departed with a swish of his cape, and Raphael and Dedue simply looked at each other before looking at Claude, who gave them a smug smile.

"So, not adopted by Captain Jeralt huh?"

* * *

It was some time before they escaped the dining hall.

Leonie was eager to speak to them about their time under Jeralt, whom she'd apparently met several years ago and received some training from him, and she wanted to know everything. Claude, meanwhile, was more interested in Byleth, wanting to know what kind of person she was and how she'd likely teach. In return, he happily told them how the academy worked.

There were three houses of students, that much they already knew, but each house had a lead professor, with Manuela, Hanneman and (as of today) Byleth, taking one each. Teaching, however, was shared, with different professors taking different specialties. Professor Manuela primarily taught Faith magic and medicine, Professor Hanneman mostly taught Reason magic and combat history, and Byleth was going to be in charge of tactics and the theory of normal weaponry. There were also other professors, such as Professor Jeritza who was in charge of practical training and combat, as well as people such as Seteth who would also hold seminars and give lessons on other subjects when their duties allowed.

One of the main tasks of the House Professors was to speak with their students and assign them to classes based on what they wanted or needed to learn. For example, there was no point sending a student who was going down the path of an armoured knight to practical lessons in magic. Some theory lessons and demonstrations were mandatory (even if you were never going to use magic, knowing what the activation of a spell looked like was useful for not getting a fireball to the face in battle) but you only had to attend the lessons decided on with your House Professor. Of course, no one would stop you from attending lessons on other subjects beyond your specialties if you wished, the professors were not going to turn away those eager to learn.

In essence, there was a good bit of leeway for change and personalisation in what you learned. Of course there were always going to be set goals for each student, and apparently each house would receive a mission each month that had to be completed by the end of the month, acting as something of a monthly exam for the class, on top of any additional mock battles or mission the House Professor may decide to do.

By the time they'd run over all of this and satisfied both Claude and Leonie's thirst for knowledge about Byleth and Jeralt respectively, morning was well on its way to noon.

* * *

They set off around the monastery, exploring its vast grounds and finding the fishing pond and greenhouse first.

Dedue was swiftly distracted by the examples of Duscur flora he found there, striking up a conversation with the greenhouse keeper who'd tried to salvage as many of the plants as she could. She hoped to one day reintroduce them to Duscur and said he was welcome to use the greenhouse and tend to them anytime he liked.

From there, they headed up alongside the dormitories and located the sauna, slightly taken aback by the presence of a sauna in a monastery, they didn't investigate any further, instead choosing to carry on into the training grounds.

They were basically a courtyard that had been set aside for training for the academy, but there were plenty of training weapons and dummies about, as well as a large group of students.

The blonde girl from the dining hall was there, and she gave them a dirty look before resuming her practice with a lance. A red-haired boy was trying to flirt with her, with little success, while another pair of students practiced archery to one side. The centre was taken up by Dimitri and another, severe looking boy who were in the middle of a spar, Dimitri wielding a lance against the boy's sword.

The blonde teen noticed them and halted the spar.

"Dedue, Raphael, welcome. I'd heard you two were joining the academy."

The red-haired boy approached them, "Hey, aren't you two the ones who helped Dimitri out with those bandits?" He gave a friendly smile, "Sylvain Jose Gautier, and thanks for digging him out of that hole he dug himself into." He winked at Raphael, "I bet you get loads of girls fighting over those muscles."

"Uh…?"

"Sylvain!"

The blonde girl glowered at Sylvain, who held up his hands defensively, "C'mon Ingrid."

They devolved into an argument as the severe looking boy stared at them appraisingly, "The boar kept talking about how impressive you were in battle, I wish to see your prowess for myself."

Dedue looked him up and down, "And you are?"

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius."

Dimitri smiled at them, "While Felix is as straight to the point as ever, I would much like to spar against you both myself. The way you both fought yesterday was impressive."

"And you want to spar now?" Raphael looked to Dedue, "What do you think."

The older boy nodded, "I see no reason why not, we have yet to train today."

"Wonderful." The prince looked between them all, "How about Felix and I take you both on as a team." He glanced at Felix, "Provided you don't mind."

The other boy considered for a moment, "Fine."

Sides agreed, Dedue and Raphael located suitable training weapons and stood facing their opponents. The four combatants readied their stances as the surrounding students gathered to watch, each side gauged the other, assessing the opposition until Sylvain started the fight.

"Begin!"

Immediately, Dimitri charged forward, using the same head-on tactics he'd employed against the bandits, aiming for Dedue. Taking the attack upon his shield, Dedue pushed back, but found the lord to be unusually strong, so he swiftly swung it outward, unbalancing the other boy as his lance was shoved aside. Dedue attempted to take the opportunity to land a hit, but Dimitri had recovered swiftly, and deflected with his lance haft before attacking once more, forcing Dedue to block.

Meanwhile, Felix had moved for Raphael, but while there was a lot of brute force in Dimitri's techniques, Felix employed far more speed with a fencer's precision, putting Raphael on the defensive. Gauntlets couldn't block as well as other weapons, so he had to rely more on dodging and ducking, but Felix moved so quickly he was hard pushed to achieve even that, never mind hit back.

However, they had one distinct advantage.

While Dimitri had the power to overwhelm Dedue, and Felix was far more agile and quicker than Raphael, they were fighting independently, whereas Dedue and Raphael had long since turned fighting as a pair into second nature. So, even as they were seemingly pushed back, both boys drew their opponents steadily towards the other, and when they were close enough, they struck.

Suddenly, in a single movement, the two boys swapped positions, catching Felix and Dimitri off-guard. Dimitri was in mid-stab, and Raphael dodged into the space between his foe's hand and the lance tip, grabbing the lance haft, he yanked it towards him, wrenching Dimitri completely off-balance, and delivered a solid blow to the stomach. Felix however, found his blade striking the immovable wall of Dedue's shield, said shield was sharply swung outwards, the force sending the sword flying from Felix's hand, even as the axe head came crashing in from the other side.

Thus, the fight was won.

Dimitri and Felix were sat upon the solid ground, Dimitri winded by Raphael's punch, and Felix nursing the bruise received in his side from Dedue's training axe. Around them, the, now much larger, crowd of students applauded, Sylvain even giving a raucous cheer, as the victors politely held their hands out to help the defeated back up.

Once he was on his feet, Felix gave a ghost of a smile, "Impressive, it seems that you have some skill."

Dimitri grinned, "Indeed, that was an excellent bout, and amazing how you turned things around so swiftly."

Raphael rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Well, you were both pretty impressive yourselves. In a 1v1, I don't think we would've won."

"Indeed." Dedue admitted, "We had an advantage in that we've fought together for some time, a one-on-one match would've turned out very differently."

"I wouldn't be completely sure of that."

A new voice joined the conversation, and Edelgard stepped forward from where she'd been watching the match.

"While your teamwork is exceptionally refined, your individual skills are quite impressive." She eyed them, "Is that a result of Jeralt's training."

"Well Captain Jeralt didn't do all our training." Raphael answered, "When it become clear we weren't going to fight the same way he was, he passed us on to other members of the company that specialised in our respective weapons. Though he did make sure we had an understanding of other weapons as well."

"I see."

"Wow, you've barely been here a day and you've already impressed the princess." Claude also stepped out of the crowd and grinned cheekily, "Keep this up and you'll have every noble here begging you to give them your aid."

Edelgard gave him a sidelong look, "Well, their skill certainly warrants the attention."

The Alliance lord gestured casually, "Looks like they'll be stepping out of their adoptive father's shadow soon."

He gave them a mischievous look and Dedue sighed, "Captain Jeralt didn't technically adopt us."

"I mean, maybe not technically…" Claude grinned smugly, "But neither one of you are rushing up to Seteth's office to get your surname on the academy records changed from 'Eisner'."

"_This boy is sharp._" Diablos commented, _"I like him._"

* * *

_**PS-So, they beat Dimitri and Felix, Edelgard is impressed, and Claude is having too much fun calling them Jeralt's sons. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello and welcome to another chapter. This is a long one that details a lot about how F**__**ό**__**dlan's magic works and the people's understanding of summoning, bear in mind that this explanation is purely my head-canon on how magic works, the game really doesn't give much of an explanation itself. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1180_

It had been an eventful end to the month, between joining the academy, becoming part of the Golden Deer house, and the mock battle at the end, Raphael and Dedue had barely had time to catch their breaths.

The mock battle had apparently been a way of examining Byleth's talents (and theirs since they'd been on the actual combat squad), and the new professor had definitely impressed with a resounding victory. Afterwards, they, and the other students, had been in discussions to decide which classes they'd be attending. Since they were doing just fine so far, they remained on the routes they'd been on already, heading for armoured knight and brawler, meaning that they'd actually be sharing several classes. However, there were some basic classes that could not be skipped.

* * *

"Magical Basics?"

At these words, Raphael looked up at Dedue over his vast breakfast.

"Is that our first class?"

The older boy nodded, "Indeed, it appears to be compulsory for anyone who hasn't had formal magic training previously."

The blonde shrugged, "Claude did say that basic classes happened for everyone."

"I know." Dedue frowned, "But I wonder how it'll work for us?"

* * *

A large, open courtyard had been set aside for the lesson (since it contained a practical element and no one wanted a student to accidently set fire to something), and many students were present.

Those set on classes into magic were absent, since they'd all already had basic training elsewhere and this was meant for people who'd maybe not studied magic at all. Dedue and Raphael were stood with the other Golden Deer students, and Leonie glanced at them.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised you two haven't been taught the basics already. Doesn't Captain Jeralt have mages in his company?"

Raphael grinned, "Yeah, but it was pretty clear that we were more suited for physical fighting, so we never got lessons."

Truthfully, it was because they didn't know how normal magic would react with a Scion's powers, so it was decided that they wouldn't find out. Unfortunately, they had no choice now.

"If you could all give me your attention please."

Professor Hanneman's voice caused any conversations to cease as the students gave him their attention.

"Very good." He cleared his throat, "Now, as you all know, this class will focus on the basics of spellcasting, how magic works and teach you the method of casting the spell Fire. So, if you could all take a seat."

Those standing sat on the wooden benches placed at one side, facing a large blackboard for the professor to use, and Hanneman wasted no time in beginning his explanation, drawing diagrams on the board as he did so.

"The basics of magic. No doubt all of you have seen or encountered magic in some form by now. All spells require a formula of some sort in order to activate, though the principles of those formulas differ between Reason and Faith magic, but they also all need magic power."

He gestured around them.

"Magic resides all around us, and a mage draws that power out of the air in order to create the spell, and it is the formula that allows that to happen. Different people draw the magic out at different speeds, thus making a spell they cast stronger or weaker as a result. The faster you can draw magic, the more power the spell receives."

He paused briefly to acknowledge Felix's hand, "Yes?"

The boy spoke, "So is the amount of power a person can wield in a spell set, or can it be increased somehow?"

The professor nodded, "Yes, like with physical strength, your magical strength, if you like, can be increased through proper training, however, natural tendency still plays a large role. If a person with great aptitude for magic, and a person with lesser aptitude receive the same amount of training, the one with greater aptitude will still have more powerful spells because of the natural advantage. Some of the most powerful spells will be inaccessible to someone with little aptitude, since they simply cannot draw in enough magic to power them, even with a correct formula."

This time, it was Ignatz who spoke up, "What do you mean professor, is having the formula correct not enough."

"No." Hanneman explained further, "Every spell has a time frame in which magic can be drawn in order to fuel it between beginning to cast and the completed casting. If you do not draw in enough magic to fuel the spell in that time, then it fails, hence why those who draw it in quicker make more powerful spells, they get the minimum amount of magic required and then some extra, increasing the spell's strength."

"_That's rather different from how yours works._" Alexander commented to Raphael, "_As Scions, you and Dedue have an internal store of magic, but it seems other mages cannot store magic, only pull it in from the air around them._"

Beside him, Dedue put forward a question to the professor.

"Sir, if mages draw magic in in order to use it, how come some people are more resistant to being struck by spells than others?"

"An excellent question." Hanneman looked delighted at the prospect of expounding further on the subject, "While a formula allows a person to consciously create spells, all living creatures naturally draw magic in to deploy as a barrier when targeted by magic, once again, the speed of this unconscious reaction dictates the barrier's strength. The more magic you can pull in within the timeframe, the more the barrier decreases the hostile spell's effects, granting you greater resistance."

Leonie was frowning in confusion as she spoke up, "You said 'all living creatures' does that mean that animals can use magic as well?"

"Yes, and no." The professor answered, "Producing a barrier against magic is a purely instinctive reaction, needing no more thought than breathing, which is why animals can do it, Pegasi in particular produce strong barriers, hence a Pegasus Knight's greater spell resistance. However, the conscious use of magic to form spells is beyond animal instinct, thus it is only used by people, the only possible exceptions may be monsters, but how their abilities work is still being studied."

"What do you mean professor?"

Professor Hanneman looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, it is a bit off topic…but if you have an interest." He began to pace lightly as he explained.

"Monsters seem to have a different style of magic compared to other creatures, while they draw in magic the same as anything else, they actually seem capable of storing it within their own bodies. This 'magic pool' allows them to project barriers so strong that they weaken physical attacks as well as magical ones, of course, sufficient force shatters this protection but the fact they have enough power to create such defences is remarkable. The preferred theory at this time is that the 'common' monsters, such as giant wolves and birds, are actually normal creatures born with this 'magic pool'. This store of magic continues to grow, increasing the size and power of the creature as it does so, thus creating a monster."

At his words, Dedue and Raphael glanced at each other briefly, monsters had an internal store of magic they way they did? Slowly, Raphael put up his hand.

"Has there ever been any people born with a magic pool?"

Hanneman adjusted his glasses briefly before answering, "To the best of my knowledge, no. Though there is a theory that summoners had a form of internal magic, but, thankfully, no one has encountered a summoner for a long time, it is likely that they've disappeared by now."

At his words, there was a muttering among the students, one or two, such as Ashe, looking confused, while others, such as Ferdinand nodded knowingly. Noticing this, Hanneman turned back to the board and cleared off a space upon it.

"I see that you all have an interest, so I think we can afford to deviate a little further." He turned back around and fixed them with a stern look, "However, remember that being a summoner is strictly forbidden by the church, that power is dangerous and corrupting. While magic works with natural forces, summoning is entirely unnatural, and can be incredibly detrimental when used. This is all purely to make you aware of what they can do." He briefly smiled, "Of course, as I've said, it seems that summoners have all but vanished these days, so this will likely remain simply academic knowledge."

He returned to the board and began his explanation.

"Now, summoners are called as such because their power allows them to bring forth a powerful creature, called an Eidolon. There is little record of what these Eidolons are, but their power is very destructive." He peered over his glasses at the students, "Ailell, the Valley of Torment is said to be the result of one such Eidolon."

There was a collective gasp from the students as the professor continued.

"Apparently, the abilities granted to a summoner varied from user to user, but they all used some form of spellcasting that required neither formula, nor the drawing in of magic, hence why it is believed they had some sort of internal magic, though this was the source of their corruption."

Claude was leaning forward in interest, "What do you mean?"

Hanneman fixed him with a look, "People should not carry magic within them, it is far too dangerous, and it is believed that having internal magic slowly twisted the summoner's heart and consumed their mind and soul. While the methods of doing so are now unknown, the summoner would make some sort of contract with the Eidolon, receiving their power in exchange for themselves, this is why Eidolons are often considered to be demons of some sort, leading mankind away from the Goddess and against her. That is why gaining the power of summoning is strictly forbidden, anyone who does so will only seek Fόdlan's destruction."

In Raphael's mind, Alexander spoke quietly, "_It seems this is the lie the church tells the people._"

* * *

After Professor Hanneman's explanation of summoners, he brought the lesson back towards basic magic, and the learning of the Fire spell.

After going through and explaining the formula of the spell, the professor gave them time to memorise and practise replicating it before they would each take a turn at casting it once, though Raphael was having enough trouble getting the formula right.

"How does this even make sense?! Why does magic require all these symbols and shapes?"

"_It does seem needlessly complicated._" Alexander responded in agreement, "_A very roundabout way of casting a spell indeed._"

"It's not too bad." Dedue put in, "Though it is very…awkward to do."

"That is enough practice everyone!"

At Hanneman's authoritative tone, the class halted their practice of the casting motions around the courtyard and turned their attention to the professor, who proceeded with his instructions.

"Now, if you would all take a seat, I will call each of you up in turn in order to attempt a proper casting, as large as the courtyard is, more than one person throwing a fireball will be dangerous."

He glanced around the class as they retook their seats, then nodded at Dedue.

"Dedue Eisner, if you would please go first."

Calmly, Dedue stood and took his position facing a target down the other end of the courtyard, listening to Hanneman's final instructions.

"Now, aim to hit the target if you can, but don't worry if it takes a few attempts to work, I'm not expecting any of you to produce a perfect spell from the very beginning. Whenever you're ready."

Taking and deep breath, the boy ran through the casting motions and chanted the incantation, a magic circle appeared in front of him, then faded out, resulting in nothing and causing the professor to nod knowingly.

"It seems you forget a key part of the formula; you'd swapped the second and third symbols around, try again."

Dedue repeated the motions several times, correcting the errors Hanneman pointed out, until he completed it in its entirety, forming a fireball. However, instead of being sent towards the target, the whole thing flared and disappeared in a sudden flash of flame, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

"Oh my!"

Hanneman peered at Dedue in interest, "It appears that your drawing of magic is unstable, making the spell itself unstable. It's a rare occurrence, but sometimes a person is naturally unable to draw magic in in a stable manner. There's no serious concern, just that you'll never be able to use magic well." He nodded approvingly, "Your formula was perfect that time, but it appears that becoming a mage is not a suitable path for you."

He dismissed Dedue to his seat and called forward the next person, slowly going through each student one by one. Not everyone produced a full fireball (Dimitri's attempt resulted in a pathetic wisp of flame), but Hanneman seemed happy regardless. Eventually, as the only person left to go, Raphael was called forward.

Like all the others, he stood before the target (that now definitely had scorch marks), and ran through the casting procedure, however, it took him more attempts than the others to get the formula correct, resulting in many failed castings, until Hanneman talked him through it as he cast.

"Very good, that symbol first, then create the formula around the circle, allow the triangle to form, add the second then third symbols and…"

BOOM!

Raphael briefly formed a fireball, then found himself flung back as it exploded with powerful force, causing several students to yelp in surprise. For a few moments, he sat in a daze until he registered a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"Are you alright kid?"

He looked up at the sound of the familiar voice and was surprised by who he saw looking down at him in concern.

"Captain Jeralt?"

Jeralt smiled briefly, "I was nearby when I heard the explosion and came running to see what had happened." He glanced at the courtyard and grimaced, "Messy…"

Looking the same way as the captain, Raphael discovered that the place he'd been standing now had a small, smoking crater, and Professor Hanneman was staring at it in shock.

"My goodness! I've never known anyone's drawing of magic to be that unstable." He eyed the boy, "Are you alright?"

Raphael nodded, "Yeah, just a bit bruised after being thrown back."

Satisfied, the professor nodded and looked back at the crater, which Claude examined before giving a low whistle, "I guess we should call it good fortune that you find magical formula hard to understand."

Seteth, likely alerted by the explosion swept into the courtyard, his eyes taking everything in at a glance, "What happened here?"

"Nothing to worry about." Hanneman answered, "It seems that young Raphael's ability to draw in magic is very unstable, something that can happen in people and result in very unstable magic spells."

He looked at Raphael, "Though I suggest that you no longer attempt to cast any spells."

Glancing again at the crater, the boy nodded, "Yes professor."

Claude grinned slightly, "At least it was only a Fire spell, imagine what would happen if you tried casting something like Ragnarok."

Seteth visibly blanched as he considered precisely that and responded swiftly, "I think it would be for the best if we never find out."

* * *

After the destruction Raphael wrought, the class was brought to a close, and the decision to keep Raphael from any sort of practical spellcasting allying Seteth's fears of random explosion in the monastery, that day's classes continued.

Most of them were basic classes in various fighting disciplines, as well as Byleth's introductory Tactics class. It wasn't until they met in Dedue's room after dinner that the two boys discussed what happened in the first class.

"So, Scions and normal magic techniques don't mix very well then."

Raphael smiled briefly, "Yeah, seems that way. Though I wonder why…"

"Diablos told me."

"Huh?"

Dedue began to explain further, "You know how normal mages draw magic in from the air to cast spells?"

Raphael nodded, "Yes, that's what Professor Hanneman said."

"Well, part of the formula used to cast spells is to activate that magic draw, and it is designed to pull in as much magic as it can, that's why those who draw magic quicker have more powerful spells."

He paused briefly and the younger boy nodded in understanding, allowing Dedue to continue.

"Mages don't have an internal magic pool, however, we do, so instead of drawing from the air, the formula takes magic from our pool of magic, which is a much quicker process and the formula will try to take as much magic as it can."

Raphael sat upright as he realised where this was going.

"So, the formula takes way too much magic and overpowers the spell!"

Dedue grinned, "Exactly, and that is why our formula spells become unstable, they can't handle the extra power."

"But your Fire spell merely flared up." Raphael frowned, "My attempt exploded."

"That's because your magic pool is bigger than mine." The older boy responded, "Considerably bigger, so the formula put far too much power into the spell, leading to the explosion." His brow creased in worry, "I'm just glad Professor Hannenman simply thought our magic drawing was unstable."

"Well, we've done the basic magic course, and although we have the Faith one left, I think Professor Manuela is going to leave us out of the practical castings."

"I guess." Dedue kept frowning, "Though I don't like the way they describe summoning magic, do people truly believe that we've made pacts with demons?"

"_I must admit, I find being called a 'demon' rather offensive._" Alexander commented.

"It seems to be the lie that they've been told for a long time." Raphael said, "Though I wonder who started it?"

"The church maybe?" Dedue answered, "Though they'd have had to have some serious power to get their lie accepted throughout the continent."

Raphael yawned and stretched, standing up to return to his own room, "Well, maybe we can find out something about that while we're here as well."

* * *

_**PS-So Raphael trying to use 'normal' magic is slightly dangerous, and I've taken a couple of liberties with game 'lore' as well with regards to Ailell. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


End file.
